Chronicles of the Stars 5: Tainted Shadows
by Deliverer
Summary: Some say he was a man who fell in love with the Shadow Queen. Some say he was an evil god disgraced and banished to the mortal realm in the form of a human. It hardly mattered which was true. It didn't change what he did. But she returned his affections, and as a token of her love bestowed upon him all she could to set him free. His name was Tabuu, and he cost her everything...
1. Prologue: Cast Down

**Tainted Shadows**

(A/N: This story is one of the darker ones I've written. I'm not sure, in fact, whether it should be rated T or M. Something in between, perhaps. There will be very mature subject matter in later chapters, but whether it's enough to warrant an M rating I'll leave up to my readers to tell me. I'm leaning towards yes, so I'll probably change it to M later and readers can tell me whether it warrants being there or not, but I'm not certain.

This takes place as a Prologue to my series Chronicles of the Stars which started out as a Trilogy [Reach for the Stars, Bad Luck, and Will there be No Mercy from Immortals] then expanded. It is placed after the latest installment Epidemic because it will help to clarify things that will occur in Epidemic's sequel Last of the Ancients which is still being worked on. Whether this can be called a crossover or not I'm unsure. Perhaps I'll put it in a Crossover category later on, but we'll see.

Seeing as this story takes place thousands of years before Mario's time, some of the characters' ways of speaking may seem a little out of place or out of character; especially... well, no spoilers. Again, though, this takes place thousands of years ago. When I bring them into Mario's time in future stories-rather if I do-I'll change it around.)

Prologue: Cast Down

The immortals watched on in horror from the skies as the Tribe of the Ancients imploded on itself. The Pixl uprising had ruined its people for everything they had, was _still_ ruining them. "You… _You_ did this," a furious voice hoarsely whispered to his fellow. The other looked cautiously, tensely, over at his brother.

"You embody Creation, brother, but I… _I_ am _Destruction_," the second said in reply. "How was _I_ to know that he would choose to follow in my course?"

"Because _you_ brought him _forth_!" the first yelled furiously.

"I _gave_ him free _will_!" the second screamed, fingers twitching at unnatural angles as his anger grew.

"Mark my words, Crazy Hand, before this is done, you will regret ever being brought into existence," the first growled.

"What do you mean, Master Hand?" Crazy Hand replied icily.

"He will _not_ go unpunished for this atrocity," Master Hand hissed in reply.

Crazy Hand started. "Wait brother, this is _my_ fault, not his. You can't just…" he began, but Master Hand was already disappearing. Crazy Hand clenched into a tight, angry, and pained fist, sinking low to the ground and recalling all that had led to this point…

Flashback

It was Master Hand who ruled them all, deity of all the deities belonging to this world. At his side ruled his counterpart and brother, Crazy Hand, second of all divinities. This one came to be both a companion and a foil to his elder sibling. Two 'hands' were better than one, so the saying went, and the two brothers complimented each other. Master Hand, the right, was the embodiment of Creation. Crazy Hand, the left, embodied Destruction. Together the two were virtually unstoppable and none could stand against them.

It was Master Hand who moulded out of Stardust the Star Spirits Eldstar, and Mamar his consort. Together Eldstar and Mamar birthed the Star Spirits Kalmar and his brother Skolar. Some years passed before Mamar again gave birth, bringing about Muskular, Klevar, and Misstar. These seven creations of Master Hand's became the primary ruling body of deities of the Mushroom World, Master Hand and Crazy Hand falling back and giving almost absolute control to the Seven Star Spirits. The Star Spirits, in turn, brought forth the Grand Stars and the Power Stars to channel their power.

Crazy Hand watched his brother's creations jealously, watched as they progressed and grew in power. Not to be outdone, Crazy Hand formed the Elements and their gods: Fire, Thunder, Water, Air, Earth, Ice, Growth, and more still. These, though, were not quite as graceful and beautiful as the Star Spirits, and Crazy Hand raged at the realization he had failed to bring about envy in his brother.

Now Master Hand became suspicious and guarded. He saw in his brother a lust for chaos and destruction, a lust for power and recognition. This he didn't trust, but for now he let it be and let Crazy Hand continue on, mad as ever. Master Hand formed the Mushroom World and its inhabitants as beings for the Star Spirits to watch over and guard, as was their purpose. Surely Crazy Hand couldn't copy him with _this _masterpiece. To his horror, though, Crazy Hand _did_. In response, Crazy Hand brought about the planet of the Shroobs and its inhabitants, dark and alien counterparts to the peaceful Mushroom World who brought nothing but destruction everywhere they went. So it went on. Master Hand brought something forth, Crazy Hand copied his creations, only formed them dark and destructive, dangerous and unpredictable, until finally Master Hand could take no more. Outraged by his sibling's audacity, Master Hand challenged him and the two Hands went to war.

SMB

For years their battle raged, the Star Spirits and Elemental gods looking on unimpressed. Finally it was time to intervene, and both Eldstar and the Fire God approached their creators…

"You two have brought nothing but death and destruction wherever you battle. Is this what you want, Master Hand, you who embody creation? With every move you make your brother grows more and more powerful and victorious!" Eldstar stated boldly. Master Hand immediately stiffened at this realization.

Crazy Hand giggled madly. "Be silent! You are no better off! You can't _hope_ to compete with Master Hand. Give it up before you become even more his instrument!" Fire shouted.

"It ends now!" the two stated together.

"Then what do you propose?" Master Hand questioned, willing to listen while Crazy Hand fumed and spewed curses and threats via his gestures.

"A competition," Eldstar answered simply.

Crazy Hand started, taken aback by the declaration. After a moment, though, he calmed. If a hand could smirk, he would be smirking tauntingly now. He gazed at Master Hand and said, "Brother, I am your counter, destruction to your creation, chaos to your order, cruelty to your kindness. I foil you at every turn. It is my purpose. For once, just _once_, _I_ will be victorious."

"Brother, you claim your power is almost equal to even _mine_, yet all you have ever brought forth are copies of _my_ work. When I formed the Seven Star Spirits, you formed the Elemental Deities. When I formed a world, you formed another identical to it only evil. You could not create something of your own accord if you _wished_ it. You are doomed to forever copy me," Master Hand challenged, and surely it _was_ a challenge.

Crazy Hand began letting out high pitched laughter and a screech. "You call me out, do you? Very well, Master Hand, I accept! Eldstar, Fire, name your contest!" he stated instantly, pride injured and determination shining through.

SMB

"Create, each one of you, your own unique entity, gods to join those you have formed already, divinities that are unique in every right," Kalmar declared for Eldstar.

"They must be beautiful," Misstar dreamily added.

"Clever," Klevar added.

"Powerful," Muskular stated.

"Intelligent," Skolar said.

"Ethereal," Eldstar declared.

"And _yours_. Detail them as if they were your own children," Mamar finished.

"I pity you then, Crazy Hand. You couldn't create something beautiful if your _immortality_ were on the line," Master Hand bit at his sibling.

Crazy Hand began twitching and flipping out maniacally. "We will see about that, Master Hand!" he spat in reply.

"Go ahead, brother. _Form_ your unique creation," Master Hand icily stated. "The sooner this is done, the sooner our feud ends."

SMB

The immortals were all gathered together, watching the duelling siblings madly creating. Finally they stopped. Everything was silent. "Will you reveal first or shall I," Master Hand asked the younger, and his voice revealed his disdain and doubt all too clearly.

"You first," Crazy Hand replied.

"As you wish," Master Hand replied. With a wave, a ball of light and stars appeared before him, shining so brightly one could hardly make out the form hidden beneath; but it was a woman of some sort, and that much was obvious, breathtaking in every respect, the universe with all its stars and galaxies and planets shining within her very being… And she took on many, many forms, both male and female, both animal and other, whatever guise her creator, her _father_, commanded her to take, before finally she settled once more into the radiant creature she was.

The Divines 'oohed' and 'ahed' at the sight of her. "What _is_ she?" Eldstar questioned in wonder.

"This is the Cosmic Spirit," Master Hand gently replied, affectionately gazing at his creation with love like that of a father towards a daughter; and surely she _was_ his pride and joy, and he had grown to love her more than he had loved _any_ of his previous masterpieces. She was his daughter in every respect; he had decided as much in the midst of his formation of her.

"Surely she is the favorite of _all_ your designs," Misstar said in awe, enviously watching the Cosmic entity.

Master Hand affectionately watched his newest design. He turned, then, to Crazy Hand. "Show me, brother. What is it that _you_ came up with?"

SMB

Crazy Hand gazed at his sibling with loathing, but also with admiration. He had always held the other in high esteem. He had never doubted the more powerful Hand's ability, and he loved his sibling as much as he loathed him. Perhaps _this_ time, though, _he_ had come up with something _better_. Crazy Hand waved his fingers in an unpredictable pattern. All at once some sort of pod or egg appeared. The pod was a hideous greyish green color and it oozed a liquid of unknown origin to the immortals, each of which looked disgustedly at it.

Muskular was the first to begin to laugh, soon enough being joined by all the other Star Spirits and Immortals say for the newly formed Cosmic Spirit. She watched silently, curious. Master Hand too was silent, suspicious. He knew Crazy Hand better than this. There was more to it than met the eye. "Is this _it_?" the Thunder God questioned condescendingly.

"Wait," Crazy Hand replied, watching the egg. It began to pulsate and something akin to a heartbeat echoed loudly through the domain. The laughter stopped immediately as the eerie and unsettling sound continued. All at once there was a scream and the pod burst open, startling them all! They cried out in alarm, falling back. Their eyes widened as the thing inside was revealed. It was… a more colorful pod with holes and a glowing blue _interior_? Well, _that_ was anti-climactic. They dubiously looked at Crazy Hand, doubting his sanity. Of course they all knew he was completely and utterly insane, but _this_ had to me more cuckoo than _normal_.

"What is this?" Master Hand questioned, his every fibre telling him that this was nothing to be scoffed at.

Crazy Hand simply smirked, ignoring Master Hand's question as he gazed at the form. "Tabuu," he suddenly and darkly whispered towards the object. Mamar shivered. Like a parent gently coaxing its child to awaken, she realized…

SMB

All eyes went to the colorful object. They started when it began to tremble. Master Hand watched carefully, suspiciously. What game was his brother playing at? All at once the pod burst open, the figure within leaping into the air with an unearthly cross between a shriek and a roar! They all caught their breath in astonishment and wonder and amazement! There before them, floating in the air, was a mysterious and haunting form. It was in the image of a man, naked and impossibly beautiful, a set of large and stunning wings spreading out from his body that Pixls and butterflies would envy. He was a bluish color and without any facial detail say for eyes and a nose. Surely he was the most majestic thing they had ever _seen_… and yet the most menacing… His eyes opened, glowing white and silently summing them all up. Did he have a mouth, they wondered? Did he _speak_?

"What-what have you done?" Master Hand breathed in amazement, unable to believe what he was seeing.

"I have won, brother. I have made a creation so unique, so beautiful, so mysterious, that your greatest creation yet is shamed by him," Crazy Hand replied, casting a scathing look at the Cosmic Spirit.

The Cosmic Spirit hardly cared. Instead she gazed up in curiosity at her younger twin cousin. Cautiously she approached him. He hovered in the air, every so often flapping his magnificent wings. Curious as well, though, he soon alighted to the ground, and his every step dripped with an ethereal liquid that glowed wondrously as if he were walking through a translucent puddle. The two approached each other, judging. "You are my cousin," the formless yet beautiful Spirit finally said to him.

For a time he was silent, and in that moment she wondered if Crazy Hand had even granted him the gift of _speech_. "Cousin…" he suddenly breathed, testing the word out though no mouth moved. Finally he nodded. "I approve of this," he stated. He turned to Crazy Hand. "Father," he said, testing the word carefully.

"Father," Crazy Hand delightedly replied, and for the first time, to his own shock, he actually felt something _more_ than necessity for one of his creations. What was it he felt, he wondered? Affection? Love? The words were foreign to him, and so he wouldn't pursue the matter. "Yes," Crazy Hand finally confirmed. "You are my son, my one, my _only_, true and unique creation. There will be no other. I have made my point to your uncle, Master Hand."

SMB

Tabuu looked slowly over to Master Hand, appraisingly summing him up. Master Hand was still too stunned to react. "Uncle… He is your superior," Tabuu determined.

"He created all," the Cosmic Spirit said for her 'father.' "Say for Crazy Hand, my own uncle."

"And my father copied your father's ideas," Tabuu deduced.

The Cosmic Spirit nodded. "Do you disapprove?" she wondered.

"No… It only means I am that much more powerful, that much more special," Tabuu answered.

Master Hand shot an accusing look at his brother. "You made him like _you_, destructive; as I knew you would."

"No. I made him with free will to choose his path. I never gave him an inborn desire for destruction," Crazy Hand answered. "It seems, though, that you made your daughter with the inborn desire to create and do what is right."

"Not quite," Master Hand stated. "I made her ambiguous, as I make all."

"Who wins this contest?" Crazy Hand demanded of the Star Spirits.

"_You_ do. Tabuu is a wonder to behold," the Cosmic Spirit said, answering for the Seven Star Spirits long before they or Master Hand could reply.

"Good, I am coming to like my new niece very _much_," Crazy Hand said slyly. "However, it won't stop me from making a foil for her." Quickly Crazy Hand crafted something else. Master Hand scowled darkly. "Meet the Cosmic Clones," Crazy Hand declared as he finished the eerie and dangerous things off. They leered at the Cosmic Spirit making unnatural noises and high-pitched laughs, taunting her without words.

"Then _I_ will form something as a foil to _Tabuu_," Master Hand stated, angered at this. With that he sent out a beam of light that pierced Tabuu's center. Tabuu screeched in pain, spreading his wings and lifting into the air. After a moment he was put back down. He looked to the area Master Hand had offended. There, pulsating, was some sort of an object. An eye, a heart, a center… a fatal flaw… Crazy Hand shrieked in outrage, but he knew he could do nothing to counter this thing that Master Hand had done. Tabuu, for his part, looked icily up, but he accepted this change in stride. He understood the gravity of what had been done to him, but he feared it little. After all, up here in Star Haven he was safe. Nothing could touch him with intent to kill.

"Come along, my dear. I have much to show you," Master Hand said to the Cosmic Spirit, letting his feud with his brother go for now.

_End Flashback_

Tabuu watched icily, delightedly, as his trickery paid off in spades. An entire civilization almost entirely wiped out, just like that… He chuckled darkly. Despite the descendants sure to yet be born, there would _be_ no recovery for the Tribe of the Ancients. "Tabuu!" a furious voice bellowed. Tabuu frowned coldly. Master Hand. It was only a matter of time, he supposed, before the deities got involved in his affairs.

"What have you done, cousin? You have destroyed yourself," the Cosmic Spirit softly and sadly said, watching him from behind with tears in her eyes.

"Have I, cousin? I doubt that very much," Tabuu answered with his nonexistent mouth

"I can sense it. This time there is no forgiveness for you," she said.

"We will see," he said. With that he spread his wings and flew up into the air, following the voice. The Cosmic Spirit followed him closely, resignation and lamentation in her eyes.

SMB

He gazed up in fury and disbelief at the Seven Star Spirits seated before him. He was bound tightly between two alabaster pillars, unable to escape, unable to fly away. Crazy Hand, for once, was silent, unable to face him. Master Hand hung low to the ground grimly. His fate rested in the hands of the Star Spirits, for neither Master Hand nor Crazy Hand were in positions to choose what his sentence would be. He let out an infuriated and otherworldly scream at them, lunging towards the Seven Stars. The magical bonds holding him, though, held him back from any form of attack that he could deliver, and his attacks _were_ powerful.

"_Release_ me!" he furiously demanded, white eyes blazing murderously, slowly becoming red. He couldn't even switch forms, due to the enchantments holding him.

"Not this time, Tabuu," Eldstar gravely stated. "You alone have brought about the eradication of almost the whole of a thriving civilization. The blood of the innocents, their deaths and their pain and their suffering, _cannot_ and _will_ not go unpunished. This time you have gone too far. This time there is no forgiveness or redemption for you. You have shown once and for all what you are."

"We gave you all the chances in the world, willed you not to follow your father's path, and in the end you have become more merciless and unforgiving than even _him_," Mamar sadly stated, shaking her head piteously. "There is nothing I can do for you anymore. There is nothing your _father_ can do… You have disgraced yourself before us."

Tabuu scowled darkly, growling. "You will regret this," he stated lowly.

"You will not have the chance to _make_ us regret it," Kalmar calmly declared, piteously shaking his head.

Slowly Tabuu's eyes widened and he felt a chill race through his wraithlike body. "What do you mean?" he questioned in a tone so even and deadly that it was almost as if their blood had run cold.

"For your crime, unforgivable as it was, we strip you of your power, strip you of your immortal form, and _cast_ you down to the mortal realm. From this day forth you will walk amongst them, wretched as the creatures you so sought to torment, banished from this domain, an exile in their world," Eldstar stated firmly.

SMB

Tabuu felt his blood run cold as he gazed into their impassable expressions. The Cosmic Spirit bent her head low, tears running down her cheeks. "What? This sentence is too harsh! Judge again!" Crazy Hand protested.

"Silence, brother, they have passed their judgement on him. There is nothing we can do anymore," Master Hand softly, pityingly, said. Crazy Hand fell silent, sinking low to the ground.

"_Shatter_ his wings," Skolar stated.

Slowly, regretfully, the two hands approached the struggling figure and each clasped those that were the pride of the convicted one. "You will regret this," Tabuu hissed darkly to them all a second time.

With that, Crazy Hand and Master Hand squeezed the two delicate things with all their strength. The Cosmic Spirit, Star Spirits, and Elemental Divinities closed their eyes tightly as Tabuu howled in anguish, his wings shattering into millions of shards. He writhed in agony as slowly but surely his divine powers were being drained out of him, his screams of pain filling the air and the minds of those who had convicted him; then, as his powers were still being drained from him, he was cast out of the immortal domain and sent plummeting to the foreign world below.

"I'm so sorry…" the Cosmic Spirit mournfully whispered as she watched her cousin fall to the realm below, tears in her eyes.

(A/N: In the next chapter we get down to business and an all too familiar character is revealed.)


	2. The Shadow Queen

**Tainted Shadows**

(A/N: I've never played Thousand Year Door so bear with me. The Shadow Queen may speak out of character, I'm not sure, but again this takes place about 1000 years prior to Mario's time. Quite some centuries have passed since Tabuu was cast out of Star Haven and for that time he has been in suspended animation as his mortal body was made read to contain his ethereal form.)

The Shadow Queen

Softly birds chirped in the trees, a light rain sprinkling down in the forest in which they dwelled. They were so blissfully unaware… unaware of all that had transpired high above long ago. On the ground lay a still figure, curled into a semi-fetal position. It was a human man, helpless and naked, unconscious with no signs of awakening. The figure began to stir ever so slightly. He shivered in the dew and the gentle rain, a cool breeze passing over him. His eyes began to flicker and soon opened, revealing eyes so pale that they were almost non-existent.

The man moaned softly in pain. What was this he was feeling? Slowly the man found his way onto hands and knees, softly panting for breath. This-this body… His eyes lit up in realization and then horror. He was _human_! He was _mortal_! This body was not a body he was used to. It was clunky, it was heavy, it was unbalanced, it was aching and weak and so-so-so _pathetic_. He staggered to his feet only to collapse to the ground. He cried out in pain as his knee struck a rock. He looked down at his injury and saw some sort of red liquid. What was this? Was this… was this _blood_? He scoffed in disgust. He had forgotten how fragile and weak the body of a mortal _was_.

He looked around, taking in the scents and the sounds and the sights of the mortal world. He cringed in pain, holding his head. So many sensations at once… It was peaceful, back in Star Haven. He looked up at the sky and darkness and anger came to his eyes. Furiously he screamed a curse towards the heavens. They would pay for this disgrace. Oh _how_ they would pay.

SMB

He stumbled, crawled, and ultimately more dragged himself than anything through the seemingly endless forest. Hardly able to walk, hardly able to even _speak_, he pressed on, hopelessly lost in this mortal body in this mortal realm. He felt the effects of hunger and of thirst upon him. He didn't know what they meant, not at first, but soon enough he had deduced their meaning. How was he to eat or drink, though, when there was no sign of either _anywhere_? He would perish, he realized in alarm. For the first time he felt fear, for the first time he felt desperation, and these he used to spur himself onward, though truly he knew not where he was going or where he was heading.

Finally he collapsed to the ground, all strength drained from him. He gritted his teeth tightly and prepared to die. Wait… he sensed something… He sensed a presence that wasn't animalistic. He sensed a human being. Weakly he raised his head. He had some remnants of power left within him, he now knew. After all, ultimately he was still a deity. At least it was something of a saving grace. What little power he had, though, would not be enough to sustain him. The presence wasn't far. Perhaps the human could be useful to him. He fought to get to his feet again. Again he fell to the ground. A third time he tried. Unsteadily he wobbled and stumbled towards it.

He lurched from the forest and into a clearing. He toppled to the ground and weakly raised himself onto one arm to look ahead, panting. He caught his breath. There, sleeping beneath a decorative tree beside a babbling brook, lay a mortal woman, stunning in every regard, dark and beautiful and mysterious. He crawled once more towards her and fell at her feet, startling her awake. He felt such power and strength radiating from her… But his own strength had been exhausted. He had done all he could now.

SMB

The woman, startled, sat up quickly, eyes blazing with anger and murder. She would destroy the one who had so offended her. On seeing him, though, she froze, catching her breath. He was a man. Not just any man, but the single most beautiful man she had ever laid _eyes_ upon. And he was naked. He was weak… "Who _dares_ disturb the Shadow Queen?" she demanded of him. She would _not_ let her eyes deceive her.

He slowly, appraisingly, looked up at her. Her voice was so powerful, so strong and dark and menacing, but also so _beautiful_. He tried to speak, tried to form words. None came out, only garbled sounds. He knew not how to speak, how to work this mortal voice that he had been saddled with, but perhaps it would _come_? He did, after all, still possess some remnant of power, as he had previously established. Desperately he tried to find how to work the tongue in his mouth and the voice now his. He knew the words, but the words stubbornly refused. "Sanctuary…" he breathed weakly, finally managing to choke one out.

She shivered at the sound of his voice; so deep, so haunting, so otherworldly, so-so… so many things that she simply couldn't find the _words_ for. What _was_ this man? "What _are_ you?" she questioned dangerously.

"B-beg solace. Beg-beg pro-protec-protection. Lady, I am dying…" he breathed in a whispery voice that seemed to carry to her over the wind. Again she felt tingles racing through her body as slowly her lips parted. Take me into your home, into your care, and I will be in your debt. I throw myself at your mercy, most beautiful one, illustrious Shadow Queen. He willed it but didn't speak it out loud, giving up on speaking for the time being.

He didn't believe she would hear his thoughts. Imagine his surprise, then, when she replied, "I hear your thoughts, stranger." He started, looking sharply up at her. She smirked darkly.

SMB

The Shadow Queen was enamoured by his display of submission, she wouldn't hesitate to admit. She did _so_ like power… "Very well. I will take you in, I will give you sanctuary. I will allow your presence in my castle, on one condition… You become my _slave_," she coldly answered, for an opportunity like _this_ was _not_ one she was willing to pass up.

He scowled darkly, though because he wasn't gazing at her she couldn't see. His immortal pride rejected the notion. It screamed to him to strike her dead for her impudence… But he had been stripped of his powers, and as such he had no choice but to accept her terms. Very well, he would humble himself to the level of this mortal wench's slave… For _now_… "Wi-will be-become slave," he stuttered out, once more trying to master his new voice. "Will-will do what ask. Just grant me solace," he finally agreed.

She grinned evilly. Leisurely she leaned forward and gathered the helpless man into her arms, laying his head down upon her lap. As casually as anything she fed him with grapes and watered him as if he were a sort of pet. Desperately, eagerly, he devoured all she offered. She wondered very much how he had come to _be_ like this, out in these ancient woods without a scrap of clothing, starving, dying of thirst, and weak; unable to walk and unable to speak. When she was sure he could move again, she laid his head upon the grassy ground. Tightly she bound his wrists in front of him. He made no move to fight, only gazed listlessly up at the sky, wincing only once when she pulled the ropes taut. She shackled his ankles together, ensuring there was enough slack for him to still be able to walk, and then she pulled him to his feet and aided the stumbling stranger towards the dark and foreboding walls of her palace.

SMB

She guided the man into the Grand Hall of her castle. Weakly he looked up, taking in the dark and eerie corridors. "Haunting… Beautiful… Solitude," he breathed, testing his voice for the third time. Exhaustion was overpowering him, though, and with a sigh he collapsed unconscious. She hardly managed to catch him and lower him slowly to the cold stone floors.

"Guards!" she sharply called out. Immediately the guards nearby appeared before her. Their eyes widened in disbelief and horror on seeing the form of the stranger. "Take him to my room and tend to him there. _I_ will decide what to do with him." They nodded obediently and swept the man away, none daring to question her orders.

She watched after them with a venomous smile. What to do with the stranger, she wondered. She knew what she would _like_ to do with him. She chuckled darkly at the thought. He would be helpless to fight back against her. However, she doubted it would be any fun currently. The man could hardly _move_ let alone manipulate his body in a way that would satisfy her. No. First things first, teaching him how to walk and talk. From there it would only become easier. He was well built. He would be a fine addition to her laborers. She would find her uses for him in time…

SMB

The Shadow Queen sat leisurely on her foreboding throne. A servant approached her and knelt. "What is your news on the stranger? Have you found out who he is?" she demanded.

"He has not spoken, milady," the man answered. "Not even a mumble."

"He _can't_ speak," she remarked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, your majesty, I believe he _can_. I believe he can move too, perhaps more gracefully than you could even begin to imagine. It's just… It seems as if… it seems almost as if he was something _else_ before he was _human_," the servant replied.

"Something else?" she questioned, leaning curiously forward.

"Yes; something else forced somehow into the shell of a man, a body and a voice he isn't used to. I wouldn't say an animal, for he displays too many traits that deny that, but some creature in the likeness of a human," the servant said.

"A Toad, a Koopa, a Bean, a Sprixie or Pixl?" she wondered.

"Something lighter and more graceful than a human, for sure, something that speaks in a way that is different. Not a Toad, a Koopa, or a Bean; none of those are what you would call graceful say for maybe a Bean. _Perhaps_ a Sprixie or a Pixl, but we're unsure. It doesn't seem to be so. He carries an air about him that is greater than even them," the servant said.

"_Does_ he now?" she said, intrigued. "Hmm. You may go," she said to him. "Leave the stranger to _me_."

"He is dehydrated and starving, milady, just be wary of that. He has virtually no pain tolerance, but I doubt he _needs_ it. To even pierce his skin is a great, great effort. Perhaps his screams are not even of pain, but of fear and misunderstanding. He doesn't know what is happening to the body he is in, you see, how bad what happens to him is or how harmless. And he is… unpredictable. He's done nothing so far, but there's something about him that warns he could spring at any time. None of us can place it," the servant warned. With that he left, and gracefully she rose from her throne.

She entered an indoor garden in the style of a rainforest. She wandered through it until she heard a hissing sound. She paused and smirked as a graceful looking serpent lowered itself from a branch and revealed its fangs with a hiss. "There you are, my little darling," she cooed to it, reaching up and allowing the snake to slither around her arm. "Hello my pet. It's been some time," she cooed, stroking its head. "I have use for you." She laughed darkly as it hissed, revealing its venom sacks.

SMB

She entered the room in which the stranger lay, still bound and unmoving. She approached him silently. A _dog_ couldn't have heard her movements… but _he_ did… He did, and he looked slowly towards her, eyes glittering with life. "What is your name?" she questioned him.

"Nam?" he questioned. He knew immediately he had said it wrong. Curse this mortal tongue he was cursed with.

"Name," she corrected.

He was silent a moment. "Name…" he finally replied, carefully finding his way around this way of speaking. "Name… What is _your_ name?" he questioned right back.

She was silent. He was learning at an alarming rate, she realized; which only served to prove to her that he had certainly been _something_ of power before a human. "You will address me as the Shadow Queen," she stated in response.

He frowned. _If my lips are not worthy of breathing your name, then I can promise you that you are not worthy of knowing_ _**mine**_, he communicated to her via thought. She could hear him. She would respond accordingly. Sure enough her eyes began to glitter dangerously. After a moment an icy smirk spread across her lips. "You are a slave, stranger, and _I_ am a _Queen_. Don't test me," she replied.

"I am greater than an _Emperor_!" he shot, the first fully flawless sentence he'd spoken _yet_, he realized. Good. It was time that he found his speech again. She shivered at the sound of his voice, her eyes wide in something between fear and awe. There was an undertone in his words and his manner… Somehow she didn't doubt for a _second_ what he had said.

After a long moment she bent down close to the motionless stranger and whispered into his ear, "Hecate. My name is Hecate. _Remember_ it and curse it, because you will pay _dearly_ for this impudence."

SMB

She knelt and picked something up. Standing once more she revealed it. He warily watched the creature; a serpent, venomous and painful. "They say it takes effort to break your human skin; more than it _should_. I'm willing to test that. The effort, if it takes _any_, will be worth it to see the way you writhe and scream in anguish as the poison courses through your blood and as my physicians cut deeply into your flesh, marring it with their blades. They tell me you have little if any pain tolerance. Good, then this will hurt all the _more_. Now I'll ask again. What is your name?"

He chuckled lowly and raised his head ever so slightly. "Tabuu," he answered huskily. "And it is a name _you_ are unworthy of _speaking_."

Her eyes lit up murderously and she thrust the snake towards him. It hissed and lunged, sinking its fangs into him or trying to. The first bite, to the Shadow Queen's shock, didn't pierce through. The second, though, _did_, and immediately the stranger screamed in anguish, writhing at the bite as the serpent refused to let go. Bound as he was, he could do little. Unbound he would have fared no better, for he was still unused to this human form.

His body jerked and twisted until the serpent let go and slithered away from him. She went to the door and opened it, calling, "Get the physicians! He's been bitten by a serpent!" They all knew what her words truly meant and shivered.

SMB

She watched in delight as they finally managed to pierce his skin and cut deeply into it, drawing blood. He shrieked in agony, desperately trying to pull away but unable to. He tried to jerk free of his bonds yet couldn't. He gasped and bit his tongue savagely, trying to keep from screaming. She took too much satisfaction in that. Oh how this mortal woman would pay for this insult. He slowly looked over to the blood leaking down his arms. Mortal _fools_, this was _not_ how you dealt with the venom of a serpent's bite. Bloodletting did _nothing_.

"Leave him to me," she said to the physicians, then, stepping forward. They moved out of her way and she placed her hand on the area where the stranger, Tabuu, had been bitten. She closed her eyes and began murmuring something or other. He watched in morbid fascination as the venom he felt coursing through his bloodstream seemed to disappear, as the bite mark healed. She looked over to the gash and smirked. That was _his_ to deal with forever more. Even after it healed there would be a scar, a permanent reminder to him never to cross her; a blemish eternally marring his perfect flesh. No man deserved to display such untainted splendour _anyway_.

"Now, what _are_ you?" she questioned.

"Mortal," he answered absently, eyes fixed on the stream of blood running down his arm as he tried to determine what it meant. He knew what blood was, of course, he'd _spilled_ enough of it, but what it _meant_ and what it _was_… that was something different. It was morbidly beautiful, in a way, and a terrifying reminder of death and mortality.

"Before you became this human, what were you?" she specified.

"You'll never know," he answered in a whisper.

"Then your pain has only just begun," she threatened. With that she left with the others.

SMB

He lay helplessly on a bed, bound and chained tightly so that he could make no move to fight as he was tended to by physicians and scientists, each of them examining him as if he were some sort of test subject. He disliked being poked and prodded; _especially_ not in this vulnerable state he was in. It was humiliating to say the least. You did _not_ humiliate deities. He gazed listlessly up at the roof, making no move to do anything. He gave a warning glare or threat every so often when they started getting too close to various regions of the, ugh, 'human' body that were weak and vulnerable; the heart, the head, the groin, the private places, and the throat were the ones he was most protective over.

She watched from the door. He was like a wild animal, ready to lunge at a moment's notice, unpredictable and dangerous. She sensed this, though how he could be dangerous in his current state she wasn't sure. It was a feeling, however, and a powerful one at that. A physician went to stick something in his mouth and savagely the stranger, this 'Tabuu', bit him with all his might. The physician screamed in pain, jerking back in fear and alarm. None of them wanted to be here, the Shadow Queen saw. They were terrified of him, every _one_ of them.

"Leave him be," she said. "You've done enough for today." After all, it had been hours upon hours that they'd poked and prodded in an attempt to find answers. All too eagerly the servants fled the room in terror. Left alone with the man, she approached his bedside and gazed down upon him. He glared up at her coldly. "Such an exceptionally _beautiful_ creature you are," she cooed to him, lightly trailing a finger up and down his abdomen. "Is there another man alive who could rival your splendour?"

SMB

He laughed. He actually laughed. "As if a mere human could _hope_ to stand to me," he crooned.

She started, taken aback. He had mastered speech if nothing else, she realized. "What were you before you were a prisoner in this human body, young man? Admit it to me and I promise you, the prodding and the experiments will stop," she said to him, feigning sincerity.

"You think me a foolish man, Hecate. _That_ is a fatal mistake," he warned dangerously.

"You were a Sprixie before you were imprisoned in your weak body, were you?" she guessed.

"A Sprixie? They would _wish_ as much," he answered.

"A Pixl, then," she guessed.

"You have one more chance, and then this game ends," he said.

She closed her eyes, placing her hands on both sides of his face and taking a deep breath. She frowned curiously then winced, whimpering in pain. What-what was _this_? She cried out in anguish and pulled back in alarm, gazing at him in shock. His eyes were fixed on her steadily. "What did you sense?" he wondered, almost amusedly.

She looked quickly up at him, and for the first time there was uncertainty in her eyes. "Nothing… Nothing that I… that I could understand…" she murmured in disbelief. What did that mean? What _was_ he?

"As it _should_ be," he replied. "Do with me what you will, my dark and deceitful Queen, but you will learn _nothing_, no matter what you do."

"We'll _see_," she answered…


	3. Lust

**Tainted Shadows**

(A/N: Warning, alludes to torture but doesn't graphically describe it. I don't have the stomach for that. Think _Amnesia: The Dark Descent_—for those of you who know what I'm talking about—when picturing the Shadow Queen's torture chamber. The Shadow Queen is quite cruel in this one, but soon enough you'll all see just how cruel Tabuu can be. After all, he's, well, Tabuu.)

Lust

He never saw her again for months. She should count herself lucky he _hadn't_. She would have died in a moment, because her order regarding what to do with him… Her order had been torture, pitiless and brutal; and for a once god who had never felt pain before in his life, it was a fate worse than the harshest of punishments. It was a fate worse than becoming a _mortal_. Contrary to her plan, though, the more pain he suffered, the less inclined he was to speak. He had learned to walk, however. Through all the times he was dragged from the dank and dreary room he had been moved to and led from torture room to torture room, he had learned to manipulate this clunky and awkward human form with a grace unlike any had ever seen amongst mortal man _before_. The human body could be surprisingly nimble, he'd found, and surprisingly light once you became used to it. Not light enough for _his_ tastes, but he could tolerate it now. Therein would be his lovely captor's downfall. He screamed in anguish as another torture device—a pyramid of sorts which he believed was called the Gilded Cradle—was used on the pathetically weak and vulnerable human form entrapping him.

SMB

"He hasn't broken?" she icily questioned her subject.

"The more he suffers the more he closes off," the torturer, rather one of them, replied. He was shivering, the Shadow Queen saw. She didn't trust that.

"Why are you shaking?" she demanded.

"My lady, perhaps it is best if you lay eyes upon him _yourself_," the torturer replied.

"Hardly a _shell_ of the man he was, no doubt. How extensive has the damage to his body been?" she questioned.

"That is what you must see with your own eyes," the torturer replied. That statement did _not_ sit well with her. Quickly she rose from her throne and started towards the dreary and dank room she had imprisoned him in after moving him from hers.

SMB

"You must understand, your majesty, he has been lashed upwards of 1000 _times_ in these last months. He has been burned in the Brazen Bull, he has been put in the Iron Maiden, he has been strapped to a chair with spikes digging into his palms and arms and legs, he has been put on the Gilded Cradle, he has been raised by his wrists into the air snapping his bones, and so much _more_. Time after time limb after limb has been broken, blisters have distorted his skin, lashes mangling his body, and he just, he just…" the man began. He trailed off.

"He just what?" she questioned.

"Look," the torturer said, unlocking the door to the room in which their 'guest' was kept.

She peered inside. She doubted what she saw would be a pretty picture. She almost died on seeing the sight before her. He was slumbering on the bed, and there wasn't a mark upon his body. There was no scar, no blemish, there was _nothing_. There was nothing… His skin was as fresh and pure and soft as if he had been a newborn, his form as beautiful as it ever _had_ been. "How is this possible?" she hissed. Not even the mark from the first cut he had _sustained_ showed.

"I don't know, Majesty. _None_ of us do," he replied. "If I may say so, your highness, I believe you should have him killed… He harbors nothing but malicious intent towards you. He'll kill you if he gets the opportunity. He'll succeed."

"When did you all start to _care_?" she questioned.

"We haven't, but the punishment for not warning you would be far greater than the punishment for attempting to," the torturer said, head bowed low. He looked ahead again and gasped, "Shadow Queen!" he screamed out.

SMB

Before she could even turn she felt something wrapping around her throat. Quickly she spun her head only to find herself gazing down into the eyes of the stranger, Tabuu _himself_! She gasped for air and almost panicked when she realized she couldn't breathe! "Oh gods," she choked in fear, gazing at him in horror.

"Close enough," he answered, a cold smile crossing his lips. The torturer tried to leap to the Queen's defense, but Tabuu nimbly dodged around the man and thrust him to the ground outside of the room. Swiftly he slammed it shut and locked it. Violently he threw her up against a wall. "No one will hear you scream, mortal," he hissed to her.

She, for her part, was mesmerized by the way he moved, how swiftly and surely and gracefully. She had seen _dancers_ who couldn't have hoped to match him, and surely even the gazelles of the fields would envy his motions. She hardly believed she would _mind_ death now; as long as she stayed lost in this stranger's eternal eyes until her last breath. He held her gaze calmly and coolly, no expression on his features, no sign of what he was thinking. He was waiting, she realized. He was simply waiting for her to die. Her grip on his wrists began to loosen as her strength waned. _What are you mysterious one_, she wondered, and she knew he had heard her thoughts.

"I am one you will not so easily _break_, oh dark and deadly Shadow Queen. Speak my name," he whispered to her. She said nothing, her vision beginning to darken. "Speak my name!" he ordered loudly, and that order was his greatest mistake.

"Tabuu," she whispered softly, the name slipping off of her tongue like honey and catching him off-guard. "Tabuu," she whispered again. She gave a sigh, her hands slipping away from his wrists, and was still.

SMB

He held her a moment longer. He could feel she was still alive. Until the last bit of life slipped from her he would hold her here… But as he gazed upon her his grip around her throat loosened ever so slightly… She was beautiful in every sense. Her skin was a shade not natural to most humans, haunting and eerie, dark and dangerous. Her eyes… Her eyes were black pools with blemishes of blood dotting their surface. She went barefoot everywhere she roamed, he noted, yet there was no rough area to be found upon her skin. Her fingers were long and slender, her nails like claws that so easily cut into and marred the flesh. He felt something stir within his breast. It was a foreign feeling to him, one he didn't understand; one he didn't _care_ to.

He found himself lowering her to the ground, laying her on the hard stone. He bent over her curiously, gently, inquisitively, brushing a hand through her tresses. The hair was long and had a color like the dusk, more of a shade of platinum purple or purple grey than it was a shade of black, softer than anything he had ever _felt_ before, and thick. He examined her body slowly, taking in every detail. He gown was like the stars above. It gave her a dark and menacing yet beautiful and mysterious appearance. It would be hard to describe the sort of gown it was. The dress fitted to her upper body like a corset and coiled down around her legs quite literally. The skirt was of a Sheer Silk, completely see-through, but strips of satin wrapped around it in ringlets. The first coil covered what needed to be covered. The other few were purely for show. She wore an anklet and bracelets, but little more jewelry than that.

He was curious about this form that lay vulnerable beneath him. Gently he found himself trailing his fingers up her leg. Her skin was soft and supple. He traced the uncovered skin of her body then reached up for her face. There was no flaw in her, likely her way of utilizing the powerful magic she wielded, for she was very vain. Oh yes, he felt power within her all right, dark and strong. He traced her lips with a finger. He wondered what it would be to taste and feel them against his. He had often watched mortal men and women exchanging such gifts as those; kisses, he believed they were called. He bent and paused just above her. After a moment he pressed his cool lips to her warm ones tenderly. Leisurely he drew back. He had very much liked the feel, he determined. He didn't believe he had ever _witnessed_ a more appealing female form.

His hand found its way to her slender neck, so beautiful, so open, so vulnerable, so _tempting_… He bent down, pressing a kiss to _it_ as _well_. He felt a rush of excitement shoot through him but he didn't know why or what it meant. He just knew the rushing of blood made him want to keep kissing her against and again; and perhaps experiment even _further_ with what his mortal body was capable of doing against hers. _He_ knew what each part of his anatomy was for, he was not as naïve as to be clueless in _that_ regard. He kissed her neck again, then again and again, moving up to her jawline and finding his way to her lips once more. Each time he kissed her he became more excited, more tempted. Here, now, she would be open, she would be his for the taking, and she would be unable to fight back.

SMB

She moaned and he froze, immediately snapping out of his euphoria. She was waking up, he realized in alarm. Why should he be afraid, though? She possessed powers, yes, but that was hardly a frightening thing to him. Perhaps he was afraid of more pain. He thought grimly of the torture methods mortals devised. Some not even _he_ would have been able to dream up had he so wished immense suffering on someone or something. She began to settle once more. He looked her over, thought seriously about having his way with her as she slept, summarized his situation once more, and then decided against it. It was only lust, and she was a human; _hardly_ worthy of the attentions of a _divinity_.

Her eyes flickered open and met his. She caught her breath, a stab of fear shooting through her. He made no move, however. Nor did _she_… they just watched. She blinked her eyes at him and against he felt a rush of excitement. Did she realize the position she was in, he wondered? Perhaps she _did_. Perhaps _she_ was as curious as _him_. It wouldn't do to give her what she wanted. He had no intentions of falling to her every whim. He rose from off of her and moved to the door, unlocking it once again and opening it.

Her every servant was gathered outside, holding their breath and waiting to see if their wicked Queen was finally dead. Part of them hoped so, for she was a cruel and wanton mistress if ever there _was_ one. Another part of them hoped to the contrary, for this man… This man, if he had killed her, would rob her throne. Better the devil they knew than the devil they didn't, and each of them feared this stranger as much as, in fact _more_ than, they feared their _current_ queen. "Did you…" one of the physicians hesitantly began.

Tabuu looked back into the room. She was slowly rising and looked up at him, her eyes cold and calculating. "Your Queen Hecate is very much alive," he answered. Gracefully he moved passed them, disappearing from sight. He wouldn't escape, they knew. No one ever escaped the Shadow Queen.

She watched after him, her eyes vindictive and angry. "What is your order, mistress?" one of her servants questioned.

"The man who kills Tabuu with be richly rewarded," she replied. "There will be a competition, a fight to the death; him versus all of his challengers."

"And if he defeats all those who oppose him?" a soldier questioned.

"Then he will face _me_," she answered.


	4. Desire

**Tainted Shadows**

(A/N: Second up today. It's moving into more taboo—so to speak—territory now. The next chapter is one I'm quite iffy about posting, honestly. Then again this is based heavily in Mythology and Mythology can get quite… disturbing, to say the least. By the end of this chapter I'm willing to bet you'll probably have an idea as to where this is heading. The Black Widow and Praying Mantis analogy pretty much gives it away... Yeah. Next chapter's not going to be pretty. Not graphic but not pretty. As to those wondering about Tabuu's human form, it's basically his Brawl form only not as… ethereal. Just add human features and traits.)

Desire

He was chained between two posts, just as he had been the night he was cast from Star Haven. He was in an arena of sorts, and this would be a fight to the death. He'd expected as much from her, but not quite to _this_ degree. She sat upon her Shadow Throne, impatiently drumming her fingers against the armrest. The first challenger was armed to the teeth and armored well. _He_ had _nothing_; nothing but his hands. This was a death sentence, and he'd known as much the _moment_ the tournament was announced.

His opponents had demanded he have a large disadvantage. They'd wanted him to be chained to the wall of the arena, severely limiting his movements. The Shadow Queen had heard no more of such an idea. She'd decided it would be more fun if he had full range. Part of him believed also that she _wanted_ him to survive; at least long enough to face _her_. The chains binding him between the two posts were unlocked and he fell to his hands and knees. Immediately the first contender in this game of death sprang forward, ready to kill.

He rose swiftly and seized the man's wrists, holding back the blade and the shield. The two of them grappled for hardly seconds before Tabuu pried the blade from his enemy's hand and cut him open. Victoriously he looked up. "Next," he said, and it was as if fighting came as easily to him as _breathing_. Hecate's eyes narrowed dangerously. She motioned with her hand and the next contender was brought out, this one far bigger than the last.

The man barrelled towards Tabuu. Tabuu threw the blade he'd taken from the first dead man to the side. He hardly needed it. He ran swiftly and surely towards the bigger man and slid across the ground, going beneath him. The bigger man bent his head to look between his legs for his target. Tabuu leapt onto his back snapped his neck. Jumping off, he let the man crash to the ground.

SMB

"Hecate, your champions _disappoint_ me," he murmured, now close to the Queen's throne.

"You want a challenge, so be it. Release them all!" she ordered. Gates were opened on all sides and Tabuu found himself surrounded. He summed up the number of his opponents. Oh if he had his full power… There were ten in all, each one armed, and he knew he stood no chance against them. Not in this mortal form, not unarmed. One lunged at him from behind and Tabuu swiftly spun, taking out the attacker who had journeyed forth on his own in an attempt at being a hero. Hmm, if the _rest_ were as foolish, this would be easier than he _thought_. "Attack him all at once!" Hecate furiously shouted, rising from her throne. Immediately they moved to obey.

Tabuu scanned around him. "Father, help me," he murmured quietly in supplication to Crazy Hand. A surge of power seemed to shoot through him that very moment and he grabbed up the body, using it as a sort of meat-shield. He took the weapon that had been in the dead attacker's hand and began using it as if he were _born_ to. He managed to break away from the ganging attackers, killing three more in the process. He grabbed a spear from the ground and hurled it towards them, impaling two without trouble. The last four lunged at him together.

No one was sure what exactly happened when the four descended upon him with their weapons. All that was seen, really, was blood; all that was heard were screams of pain. When the dust settled, there in the midst of the bodies knelt Tabuu, duel-wielding two blades and crossing them in front of him as he panted for breath. This mortal form was too easily winded, he determined. It ran out of stamina far too swiftly. He looked up at the Queen who stood watching, lips pursed and eyes glittering in fury. In her gaze was a look of reverence. She was impressed, very _much_ so.

SMB

"You continue to impress," she remarked. "But you won't stand against me." Without hesitation she removed her tall crown, placing it down, seized a blade, and leapt nimbly into the arena. "Come, Tabuu, _show_ me what you can do."

He ran at her instantly, but though she held a sword she hardly relied on it, using instead her spells and powers. He did all he could to avoid her, but it was more troublesome than he would have liked. He leapt forward, cutting through an evil looking conjuration and landing before her. He struck and she blocked with her blade, holding her own against him.

"You challenge me," he remarked, genuinely impressed. They had been at this for three minutes now, but both were tiring quickly, and Tabuu was already partially drained. He pushed her away from him and staggered back, trying to catch his breath. She lunged, not letting up. He seized her, spinning her around and holding her tightly against him. She, however, was keeping his blade at bay with her own. She broke free of his arms and spun, slashing at him and cutting him deeply, much too close to the stomach for his liking, might he add.

The two fought back and forth until finally he caught her blade and tossed it far out of her hands. In her moment of distraction he struck her with the face of the sword, sending her sprawling to the ground. She scrambled to her knees, seizing her weapon, and spun… only to find his duel blades crossed against her neck. With one swift motion he could behead her. It would hardly be an _effort_. She tried to find a way out, spells, conjurations, anything. There was none. She dropped the sword she held and gazed defiantly up at him. Victory was his, and she would die according to the rules she'd laid out.

SMB

"You have bested me," she admitted. "No one has ever been _able_ to before."

"Give me freedom," he said.

"You will _never_ be free," she sneered. "Whether you kill me or not, you will never be free. You were a prisoner when I _found_ you, trapped inside this body you possess. You angered someone deeply, and for that you are forever a captive in our world."

"A captive though I may _be_, I've become accustomed to my prison," he answered, alluding to his human form.

"End it," she ordered. He did nothing. "End it!" she ordered again. Finally he drew back his swords from her throat and tossed them to the sides.

"I will never be free again…" he murmured, more to himself than to her, but she saw a flash of very real pain in his eyes and very real sadness. He felt hopeless, she realized. He felt hopeless… "Better to be a slave in the castle I've come to know than a slave in a world and a place foreign to me… But make no mistake; I will _never_ belong amongst you mortals… Rise, Shadow Queen, and claim your slave. If I die, I die; if I am spared, I am spared." He knelt before her, then, bowing his head and offering her the back of his neck. She rose, taking hold of her blade. She looked down on him, so still, so unafraid to die; perhaps part of him even _wanted_ to. She raised the sword slowly above her head, the blade catching the light and flashing brightly. She went to bring it down, severing head from body… but she couldn't… she couldn't… She didn't know why she couldn't. Finally she took the blade away and sheathed it.

"You live," she simply said. With that she turned her back on him and ordered her servants wordlessly to leave the arena. He looked up after her, watching her body and her movements appraisingly with his eyes.

SMB

She gazed down at him from her window perch as he worked in the courtyard. Her handmaidens were doing her nails, brushing her hair, and otherwise pampering her. Her mind was hardly on that, though, as her eyes stayed fixed on him. She couldn't get over his grace. "He is beautiful," she heard her handmaidens murmuring to one another.

"I have never seen a man more pleasant to look at," another agreed.

"Or listen to. His voice, it's just so-so…" a third began, trying to find the appropriate word.

"Otherworldly," Hecate absently supplied. "His beauty is not normal amongst men, his voice is unearthly, and the words and way he speaks… What is the fine line between lust and love, I wonder?" It was a rhetorical question, so the handmaidens knew not to answer, but nonetheless they exchanged surprised and amused looks. Their Queen had become enraptured by her slave.

SMB

She sat by the pond in the courtyard, absently tracing the water as he worked nearby. He cursed the way these humans had to toil and suffer. "You are my slave. You are obliged to do anything and everything I command of you," she remarked. Oh lady, if only you knew what you were speaking to. You would find very _quickly_ who the slave truly is.

"What is it you command?" he questioned.

"Sit by me," she answered. He froze in position, the axe over his head, and looked towards her. After a long moment he put the axe down and approached. Obligingly he sat at her side. "You enthrall me, servant," she murmured to him.

"The feeling is mutual," he answered, because no matter how hard he tried, he simply could not understand the mysterious Queen sitting beside him.

"What were you once?" she asked.

"I will not answer," he replied.

"Are you aware of the human courting process?" she wondered.

"Both before and after marriage," he confirmed, nodding.

"You kissed me the day you nearly killed me," she murmured, tracing invisible pictures in the water. He looked quickly over to her. How much _more_ had she felt him do, he wondered? She looked over to him. "Let me show you how a _conscious_ woman reciprocates."

He summed her silently up. An amused smile crossed his lips. "You are unwise, Hecate," he murmured.

"Perhaps," she confirmed. He bent and took her lips. Gently she began to move her own against his. He went to draw back but she pulled him to her again and deepened the kiss, startling him greatly. What was _this_? What was she doing? He realized quickly enough, though, to just work with it, and soon he settled quite comfortably into this kissing ritual. The two drew apart. They needed to catch their breath. Softly she looked up into his eyes. "Was it to your satisfaction?" she wondered.

He blinked at her blankly only once before pouncing on her again and kissing her more fervently than the _last_ one. She gasped and worked desperately to keep up to the kisses that were no longer only on the lips, but on the neck, the jawline, and the shoulders. He was kissing her stomach, now, everywhere that her skin was exposed, and she gasped, holding his head against her body and trailing her fingers down his spine. It perhaps would have gone farther, but just then a voice called, "Queen Hecate, you are needed in the Throne Room!" Her eyes lit up in outrage, darkening. He had stopped kissing her, you see, and had drawn back as casually as if nothing had happened. She wondered whether it was _this_ fact that bugged her more or the fact that he had been _interrupted_. Nonetheless she rose to tend to her court.

SMB

Tabuu was infuriated, that much was plain to see. His eyes flashed viciously as he scowled after her retreating form. This was the _second_ time he had been interrupted in the process of examining the human female form, and he wouldn't stand for it a _third_. When an immortal saw something they liked, they pursued it without letup; when an immortal saw something they _desired_, they _took_ it. Whether the other party was willing or _not_, male or female, they _took_ it. This would be no exception. He would have that woman if he had to _force_ himself upon her. Lust had consumed the deity, at this point, and there was _nothing_ more dangerous than lust, let alone the lust of a divine.

He entered into her Throne Room as soon as he knew it was clear. He thought about approaching her without stopping and dragging her from her throne, throwing her to the ground, and forcing himself into her. Some part of him, though, held him back from doing any such action. Part of him adamantly _refused_ to harm her in such a heinous way. He paused about half-way across. She looked up at him, and for a moment her eyes became filled with desire. "Only the very stupid or the very bold dare to approach me without a summons. What is it?" she demanded.

He summed her up silently. Finally he replied, "Nothing. I came here to see how difficult it would be."

"How difficult _what_ would be?" she suspiciously wondered.

To hide from you all I intend to _do_ to you, he answered to himself, ensuring she wouldn't hear his thoughts. "How difficult it would be to take you into my bed," he admitted.

"Marry me and you will have all of me," she answered.

"Would you accept if I asked," he questioned, knowing full well the answer.

"I would have you beheaded," she answered. All right, so at the base of it he was right, the answer was no. He simply hadn't expected the punishment for a proposal to be quite so severe.

"How many have died wanting you for their bride?" he wondered.

"More than you can begin to _imagine_," she replied, a cruel smirk spreading across her lips. In fact would-be suitors made up quite a large _portion_ of her executions.

"You are like a Black Widow, my Queen, or a Praying Mantis," he remarked.

"In what sense?" she wondered, though the amused smile betrayed that she knew the answer already.

"In the sense that both slaughter their would-be lovers and devour them," he answered. "By the time they _do_, however, it is too late to spare the female," he added. She sat up, eyes narrowing menacingly. Was this a threat, she wondered. "You see, the males do not wait to be accepted by the females. They ambush her when she is least aware, and before she has a chance to kill them they have taken her purity from her. Only when it is already far too late does she managed to enact her vengeance upon them."

"If you speak any further of this, I swear to the _gods_ that I will have you bound and drowned in the darkest depths of the _sea_!" she shouted angrily at him, rising from her throne with eyes glittering viciously.

"It will change nothing. It will still have been too late for you," he answered. With that he turned and left. She watched uncertainly after him. Part of her was afraid of his words, afraid of the threat he had uttered. Part of her didn't even _view_ it as such. That part was the part of her that cried out to him with her whole body and being to make good on his utterance. That part was the part that begged him to take her. Quickly she shoved the idea away, chastising herself for such a thought, but despite herself she found her eyes ponderously wandering in the direction he had gone.


	5. Awake or Sleeping?

**Chronicles of the Stars 5: Tainted Shadows**

(A/N: **Warning.** This chapter's opening scene, while not overly graphic and probably not as bad as I'm making it out to be, may be disturbing to some readers. In fact chapters coming up in future will probably be even more so. I based this part heavily on Greek Mythology—some of which are really quite disturbing—but yeah. However, I've left the question of whether it was real or a dream up in the air, so readers can view it how they wish to. I do apologize if it offends anyone, though; more so the Shadow Queen's reaction to what befalls her than the actual event itself.)

Awake or Sleeping

_She was bathing in the brook, close to the tree she had been laying beneath the day he had stumbled from the woods and fallen at her feet, beseeching her for aid. She stood beneath a waterfall, letting it soak her hair, washing it. Over the roar of the water she couldn't hear a sound… She couldn't hear another figure slip into the brook and make its way stealthily towards her…_

_All at once she felt powerful arms wrapping around her body and a hand covering her mouth tightly. She tried to scream and began to thrash and lash out at whoever it was holding her. By the power in the grip, she knew it to be a man. He dragged her beneath the water. Whether he was trying to drown her or not was a mystery she didn't intend to solve. She wriggled and wormed until her lithe form managed to slip away from him. She swam towards the surface and broke choking for air, then hurried towards the bank and clambered up onto it. She slipped and slid on the mud and fell. She tried to stagger up, but before she could rise she felt him pounce on her once more, holding her down. She began screaming for help, for someone to come to her aid. He held her there, unwilling to release his prize. She wriggled and managed to turn her body around, giving herself access to claw at him with her long sharp nails._

_She couldn't see who the figure was, outlined against the setting sun behind his head. She only knew his strength far surpassed hers, and his determination outweighed her adrenaline and desperation. She managed to pull away again and scrambled up, trying to flee. He seized her ankle, dragging her back down onto the muddy bank. She was a fighter, though, and viciously she kicked back at him. He cried out in pain as her foot connected. She tried to pull away but again he dragged her back to him. He seized her and wrestled her to the ground, pinning her body beneath his._

_She continued to scream and fight, but she knew in that moment that she wouldn't escape. There would be no rescuer coming to her. He forced her arms above her head and lay on her, waiting until she exhausted herself. She was panting for breath, trying to regain her stamina, but she had struggled too much and too quickly, and now he had the advantage. She struggled again but there was no hope for her. He forced her legs apart and she screamed desperately, begging for the gods to aid her, for help to come… She wouldn't be that lucky…_

_There and then he forced himself deeply into her. She cried out in pain and dismay, weeping and begging for mercy. It wouldn't come… it wouldn't come… She sobbed helplessly as whoever her attacker was had his way with her again and again. Her body ached with his every movement, for he was powerful and forceful and unrelenting, but what frightened her more than anything else was that her sobs weren't as much for her fear of him as they were for her fear of the realization that part of her __**welcomed**__ it. This in turn served to terrify her and make her feel like the dirt beneath their entwining bodies, like debris washed upon the shore, like nothing. It made her feel wickeder than she ever had before, because she knew, she __**knew**__, that she should despise this __**so**__ much more than she did. She should be fighting this **so** much harder than she was. She cursed whoever her attacker was over and over, but it didn't help. Why would it? _

_She wasn't sure for how long he raped her, exploring every inch of her body. Perhaps it was hours. She had lost track of time. __He had his fill of her without any signs of regret or hesitation, and the next thing she knew wa__s that suddenly it was over. He rose from her with an icy kiss, satisfied, and vanished, leaving her bruised and aching body behind…_

SMB

She screamed, shooting up in her bed with heart pounding. She panted for breath, fearfully looking around her room and holding her covers close. Wh-what was _this_? Had-had it all been a _dream_? If that were so, though, why did her body so badly _ache_? Perhaps that pain was purely psychological, though, because soon enough it subsided. Was… _was_ it a dream? She rose cautiously and went towards a mirror, stripping. She gazed at herself appraisingly. There would be bruises if she had truly been attacked after all, _wouldn't_ there? She saw no mark upon her skin.

"Milady?!" a voice called worriedly from outside of her door.

She looked sharply over. Quickly she dressed in her nightgown once more and shakily went to answer. Why was she quivering so badly? Why was she so unsteady in her steps? Those were signs of the aftermath of the very thing she had suffered in her dream. That thought alarmed her. Who had the man been, she wondered? She hardly needed to. Before the thought was even _complete_ she knew the answer. She scowled in hatred and anger. Tabuu… Who _else_ could it have been in her nightmare? Perhaps she would have him executed _regardless_ of whether it was a dream or reality… Because _that_ had worked so well before, she wryly reminded herself.

She opened the door to see her most trusted Handmaiden worriedly standing outside. "I heard you scream, mistress, what's happened?" the handmaiden worriedly demanded.

"I don't know," she found herself answering, and the truth of that hit her like a load of bricks. She didn't _know_… "It-it was a nightmare."

"What _kind_?" the handmaiden wondered.

SMB

The Shadow Queen was silent, gazing out her window. "Did I go out last evening?" she wondered.

"At twilight, mistress. You went to the brook to bathe," the handmaiden answered, unsure as to why her Queen couldn't remember that.

"Did anyone pursue me?" she wondered.

"Not that I know of, milady," the handmaiden answer.

"Where was Tabuu?" she questioned.

The handmaiden's brow creased in concentration as she thought back. "I-I don't know," she admitted, slightly surprised _herself_. Between every female in this palace, they knew where he was every second of the _day_.

"When did I return?" she asked.

"We never saw you return," the handmaiden replied. "_No_ one did."

"So we vanished, him and I, into thin air with no explanation," the Shadow Queen murmured.

"Milady, what is this about?" the handmaiden wondered.

"I need to see a physician, one of the women," she answered flatly.

As you wish, milady," the handmaiden confusedly agreed.

SMB

The physician entered the Shadow Queen's room. "Lock the door," Hecate ordered.

The physician did so and approached. "You summoned me, your majesty?" she questioned.

"I need you to do something for me," Hecate replied.

"What is it?" she wondered.

Hecate was silent a long moment. Finally she replied, "I need you to examine me for signs of… assault."

The physician started. "Your _majesty_!" she exclaimed in horror, covering her mouth. "Have you been…"

"I don't know," the Shadow Queen admitted. "I don't know…" The physician nodded. She wouldn't question what was meant by that. She wasn't sure she _wanted_ to know. "There is no bruising, but when I awoke my body ached and I couldn't walk straight. That quickly ceased, so I thought perhaps it might be psychological… I thought it was just the aftereffects of a vivid dream… And then I learned I had gone out at Twilight and wasn't seen coming back…" The physician was obviously surprised at this, but nonetheless she gestured for the Queen to get undressed.

SMB

The physician was shaking as she returned with the results. The Shadow Queen was gazing out the window at the rain. "My-my queen…?" she uncertainly began.

"Have I been violated?" she asked simply.

For a long moment the physician was quiet. "I can't be certain. The test was inconclusive for some reason or other, almost as if… as if something was hiding it… Milady, it was a dream… It's simply _impossible_," the physician cautiously informed.

"Where is Tabuu?" the Queen demanded.

"I'm not sure," the physician replied. _None_ of them were. "You don't think he…" Perhaps he had entered her lady's mind. Perhaps that was why the queen felt so violated. None of the palace servants would put it past the mysterious man's capabilities to enter thoughts, after all.

"We'll soon see," Hecate replied, turning and whirling out of her room in a flurry.

SMB

Tabuu stood before her throne, no muscle moving. She paced in front of him. They were alone. He watched her in vague amusement. "What have you done?" she finally demanded.

"What have I _done_?" he questioned elusively.

She spun to him and struck him with all her might. "What _happened_ to me?" she demanded. "What have you done to me?"

"What frightens you, milady?" he questioned.

"You raped me!" she screamed.

"How could I have done such a thing when I was locked away and you were alone? Perhaps you were _dreaming_," he answered.

"Do not taunt me!" she yelled at him. "You have taken me against my will! You followed me to the brook and _molested_ me!"

"_Have_ you been defiled, my lady?" he questioned.

"I _must_ have been," she replied.

"Your test results were conclusive?" he asked.

"They weren't, and that is what gives it away!" she screamed. "You will _die_ for the humiliation and the suffering you put upon me! You will _die_! Guards!"

SMB

"You were dreaming, my sinister Queen, ethereal beauty; you were dreaming. The nightmare is over," he soothingly said, approaching her and placing his hands on her arms lightly, whispering into her ear. She stiffened and shivered. Part of her almost made her spin and tear out his eyes, the other part melted into his touch.

"When I awoke I could remember nothing of last night. When I awoke my body ached unlike anything I have felt before. When I awoke I couldn't walk straight… Do not _tell_ me it was all a dream. There may not have been a bruise upon me, but I _know_! You didn't cover your tracks well enough, fiend; whatever you may be."

"I have left no tracks to _cover_," he replied.

"I never told you I had seen a physician. I never told you I had gone to the brook. I never told you I had suffered a nightmare," she said.

"A nightmare, was it?" he questioned. "Perhaps you should examine it _again_. Dreams of rape can signify one's desire for the baser urge of intimacy."

"Or one's insecurity or a sense of being ignored or unloved," she added, frowning coldly at him.

"You accuse a blameless man," he insisted.

"A blameless _man_, perhaps, but _not_ a blameless whatever it was you once were," she replied.

"If you truly feared and despised me, you would be shaking in terror in my arms. You would be weeping and begging me not to harm you again, because we are alone, my Queen, and you again are vulnerable, and your guards… they have not heard your cries. I have ensured it," he purred. "Pursue this nonsensical thing if you must, but _tell_ me that part of you doesn't just want to let it go?" She said nothing. "Let it go. Before it's too late to go back, let it go," he warned. With that he walked away from her.

She watched after him, unable to move from her spot. "How can I let it go?!" she suddenly called after him. He turned. "You _violated_ me, Tabuu. That is _not_ something you let go of."

"Still insistent that I am to blame, still insistent it truly _happened_," he murmured. "Ask yourself _this_; was what was suffered by you in your dream as unwanted as you make it out to be?" She was silent as she watched him leave. That was an answer she didn't _have_…

SMB

It was evening again. She felt tired, drained, and confused. All day her thoughts had been consumed by his words. She wasn't sure what to think or what to do. She gazed down at his sleeping form, a knife in her hand. Absently she twirled it around, debating what her course of action would be. It would be deliciously easy to slit his throat, she knew, but as she gazed down at him… She couldn't take his life, she realized with a jolt. She couldn't take his life… She bent down and placed the cold blade against his skin. He moaned softly, head turning to the side. She tried to force herself to bury it in his throat, but no matter how much she tried to convince herself, she _couldn't_… She didn't _want_ to…

"Oh gods, what have you done to me," she moaned, suddenly sobbing and sinking down against the wall, burying her face in her hands. She couldn't _remember_ the last time she'd wept. It had been years upon years… Had she _ever_ wept before…? She felt eyes on her but didn't look up, just kept sobbing and shivering. When had she last _shivered_?

She felt his presence approaching her but didn't move. He knelt down in front of her, gently reaching out and stroking her cheek. She looked up at him. "I'm sorry," he softly said, and she couldn't tell whether he was admitting his guilt or begging forgiveness for what had happened in the dream regardless of whether it had happened in reality or not.

"If you have done this thing to me, then you must marry me," she stated venomously through her soft tears. "If nothing else, have your way with me when I am willing so that at _least_ I may say I was shamed of my own free will."

"I will not touch you again," he answered.

"You admit your guilt!" she screamed, drawing back from him furiously. After a moment he gently put his arms around her, pulling her near to his body and resting his head on hers.

"I admit nothing," he said. He felt her shaking. To have her shaking in his arms… it brought about a feeling and emotion he couldn't describe or understand.

"What have you done to me?" she asked.

"_Tell_ me what I have done to you," he answered.

"You have made me yearn for you," she replied.

"And you have done the same," he answered. "To a dangerous level, you have done the same. With my every fibre I want you, and I have since the night you almost died at my hand. I will have you as mine, Shadow Queen. One way or another I will have you as mine." Without warning she suddenly turned, taking his lips longingly and holding him tight.


	6. Divinity

**Chronicles of the Stars 5: Tainted Shadows**

(A/N: Second up today. It goes deeper into Tabuu and the Shadow Queen's relationship after the event of the chapter prior to this.)

Divinity

She walked down the hallway towards him. He was waiting and heard her coming, turning his head. She came up to him and gently took his lips as he embraced her in secret, far from any prying eyes. As time went by, the Shadow Queen and the exiled deity grew nearer and nearer, more and more enamoured with one another. It was the twilight that they had alone with one another, more often than not stealing away to the brook by the tree under which he'd first laid eyes upon her. There they would lie for hours and hours on end.

It was always her who fell asleep first, wrapped in his warm embrace, his arms engulfing her and so easily staving off the chill of the night air. When she woke up it was always back in her bedroom in her palace. She had questioned how this was possible at first, for no one seemed to see them either come or go, but soon enough she had chosen to let it go. There was something about the mystery that very much appealed to her.

She felt him softly nuzzle her head and quietly he began singing a song that seemed so ethereal, otherworldly. It was almost as if the melody had never been meant for human ears to hear. She couldn't understand the language he spoke. She couldn't understand its meaning. All she could understand was that with her every fibre she adored it, and always in the middle she drifted off to sleep before its end. She wondered why this was. Even when she wasn't sleepy it happened, but again, some mysteries were never meant to be solved. What was it he whispered to her every night, right before she fell asleep? She would listen extra carefully tonight, she decided, but she doubted she would hear.

SMB

"Sleep, ethereal lady, sleep," he cooed to her gently.

"I don't want to," she answered. "Let me hear your divine song through to the end."

"The song is not meant for the likes of humankind," he whispered.

"Let me hear it," she begged.

"To hear it would be your death," he said.

"Why?" she wondered.

"Because you are not one of us," he answered.

"What are you?" she wondered.

He was silent a long moment. Finally he answered, "Something."

Again silence descended around them. "It's unsettling," she murmured softly to him, breaking the hush.

"What is?" he questioned, nearly asleep.

"That you seem to know everything about me, yet I know nothing about _you_…" she answered.

For a long time he was silent so that for a moment she thought he was asleep. Suddenly, though, he replied, "It is best you never know…"

"Tell me what you are," she insisted.

"No," he answered.

"Then I will not sleep," she replied.

"If you won't, I _will_," he answered."

"Why are you afraid to tell me the truth?" she wondered.

"Lady, I am not afraid," he replied.

"Then why do you stay silent?" she questioned.

"Because you are not ready to hear," he answered.

"I am ready to hear," she swore, laying down on the grass and closing her eyes, awaiting his reply.

SMB

He was quiet again. Finally he replied, gently trailing a hand across her bare skin, up and down her side, "_Are_ you, Hecate?" He kissed her shoulder softly. "_Are_ you ready to learn what the nature of the creature that you have so mercilessly tortured and so piteously forced to suffer is?"

"I am," she replied, smirking at his touch, so possessive, so powerful, so gentle…

"To know could be your downfall," he stated. "To know how easily I could have _killed_ you…"

"Answer me," she insisted. "The Shadow Queen _demands_ it."

He chuckled darkly and leaned down so that his lips were against her ear. "I am a _god_," he whispered.

SMB

Her eyes flew open as she paled. There was silence a long moment. "What?" she finally, hoarsely, breathed, heart pounding in her chest.

"You have loved and loathed a divinity, a divine, a child of Star Haven born perhaps more powerful than Master Hand _himself_, at Crazy Hand's bidding," he replied.

"Oh gods…" she breathed more to herself than anyone, fear in her voice. She was shocked beyond belief, and for the first time in as long as she could remember she was _terrified_. A god, Tabuu was a _god_, and she had had him tortured and beaten, enslaved and humiliated, ripped apart fibre by fibre. She had insulted and belittled him, called him down, and showed such great arrogance towards this-this _being_ that was far greater than she could _ever_ be. If his powers had been fully intact, a whisper could have killed her. With a word he could curse her for all eternity. With a snap he could have forced her to suffer pain and anguish that _paled_ in comparison to what he had.

Quickly she rolled over onto her back and caught her breath. He hovered above her so that she was beneath him. She noted quickly that she was trapped. If he wished her any harm for her impudence, she would never escape him. Gently, though, he brushed her hair over her ear and stroked her tresses. A moment of uncertainty and vulnerability flashed in his eyes, the first sign of any such emotions in him that she had ever _seen_, and he asked her quite simply, "Are you afraid of me now?"

She shivered in his embrace, his body warm against hers. Are you afraid of me now… Are you afraid… After a moment she answered, "I am afraid…" For the smallest of instants, pain and regret flashed across his features, again emotions she had never seen before in him. He nodded quietly and made as if to lie down next to her. All at once, though, her hand reached up, cupping his cheek. He looked curiously at her. Even after all his time as one of them, he still couldn't understand the mortal mind… At least not hers… "Fear will pass, my darling," she softly whispered to him. His eyes immediately softened and he bent, taking her lips longingly as she wrapped her arms about his neck. He moved down, kissing her chest, and she held his head against her body desirously. She caught her breath as he instigated another intimate interlude, welcoming it.

SMB

Foolish mortal, did she not _see_ what she was allowing him to _do_ to her, the Cosmic Spirit wondered as she watched from above alongside the Star Spirits? Did she not see that she was nothing to him but an object to conquer and to take pleasure in until the time came that he got away? They cut out the scene quickly to give the two privacy. "A Deity and a Mortal. Nothing good can come of it," Eldstar grimly stated.

"Not when the deity is Tabuu," Skolar said, shaking his head.

"I think it's wildly romantic," Misstar stated dreamily.

"No, it is dark, it is dangerous, and it is wrong," Mamar declared. "The power he could grant her…"

"We stripped him of his powers," Muskular pointed out.

"He is still, at the core, a god like each of us," Klevar declared.

"Where do you expect this will go?" Kalmar questioned.

"She is a toy to him, a plaything. He has no real feeling for her," the Cosmic Spirit stated.

"Doesn't he, my dear?" Eldstar mysteriously questioned, a smirk coming to his lips. "She was foolish, giving of herself to him before marriage, but that does not mean she is nothing more than his victim. She started out as such, but I think that perhaps there is more to it now."

"How can you be so sure?" Muskular questioned.

"He sings to her one of the Songs of the Immortals," Mamar answered for her consort.

The Cosmic Spirit looked down once more. "Then why does everything in me say that something will go wrong?" she wondered.

SMB

They were in each other's arms, her panting for breath and he hardly winded, though his breathing was ever so slightly quicker. "What happened to you?" she wondered.

"You have heard tale of the Pixl Uprising?" he questioned.

"That was centuries ago," she replied.

"Then I had been sleeping in those woods, undiscovered, for all of those centuries. You see I was the _cause_ of it, the thing that opened the Pixl Queen's eyes to the plight of her people and instilled in her heart rebellion and vengeance. When my crime was discovered—for the Tribe of the Ancients was very dear to the gods—they took hold of me and bound me. They brought me to trial and I was found guilty; _banished_ to this pathetic mortal plain, cast into the body of a man and left naked and helpless," he replied, and his tone was so-so bitter…

"Is there _nothing_ you have found here upon the mortal coil that at least makes this place bearable?" she wondered.

"There is nothing, say for the love of a dark beauty, the love of my precious Shadow Queen, my cryptic Hecate," he answered, gently leaning over her once more and stroking her cheek. She smiled, obviously approving.

"You have pleased me with your words," she murmured.

"Only my words?" he questioned suggestively.

She chuckled darkly and kissed him. "And so much more," she answered vaguely. She turned around and closed her eyes. Soon enough she was asleep and he was gazing down at her, smirking and playing with the tendrils of her hair.


	7. Protector

**Chronicles of the Stars 5: Tainted Shadows**

(A/N: Not much to say. I probably could have done better with this chapter but I'm sick and unmotivated to edit much, so I'll just post it in its present state.)

Protector

"State your business," the Shadow Queen said to a messenger.

"Your Majesty, I come bearing an invitation to the palace of a sorcerer, a potential suitor of yours and leader of a rival nation," the messenger replied, bowing low and offering her the scroll. She reached out and took it, thought seriously about striking the messenger dead for making her reach, rejected the idea as she was in an amicable mood, and opened the scroll, reading.

"You may go; and next time you come bearing a message, do _not_ make me reach for it," she warned. The man paled, realizing the fate that had almost been his, and quickly scrambled out of the Throne Room. She smirked to herself. It was good to be queen. Again she turned attention back to the message.

"Will you go?" a voice questioned from behind, nearly frightening her to death. She gasped, clutching the arm of her throne. On realizing who it was she breathed a relieved sigh. Tabuu.

"I will," she answered. "If only for the sake of a potential alliance between our kingdoms, I will go." He frowned, displeased at this statement. Sensing his displeasure she smirked. "But _you_ will come _with_ me, my Liege," she added. Shortly after learning what he truly was, her addresses towards him had become much more respectful and submissive. He approved of this. Deities thought little of defiance.

"If it is what my mistress commands, I will obey," he answered.

"I wonder very much why you still call me mistress," she mused.

He smirked and bent down so his lips were near to her ear. Softly he whispered, "Because I am enslaved by you. You hold my heart captive, bound up in your own."

"You flatter me, my Lord," she murmured.

"As I should, for when a mortal is gazed upon so favorably by a divine it is a great feat indeed," he replied. She grinned.

SMB

The horses approached the castle coming into view, only the Shadow Queen and her lover. No entourage followed her. She hardly wished to draw attention to herself. They came up to the palace and slid off of their steeds. She led the way towards the doors, proudly thrusting them open with her powers, him trailing behind. She went directly to the sorcerer's throne and knelt before him. "My Lord," she greeted courteously.

"Ah, Hecate, it has been some time," the man sitting on the throne replied. Tabuu watched the man stonily. He was powerful, he sensed as much. "Last I saw you, I was training you in all of your mystical power."

"You were," she confirmed.

"I told you that you would owe me a steep price, one day, in exchange for the power I gave to you," he said.

She looked sharply up, eyes narrowed. "I told you then that I wouldn't be your bride," she stated firmly.

"You told me a great many things, my Shadow Queen," he answered. He looked passed Hecate to the man she had brought along. "And who is _this_?" he wondered, vaguely amused. He sensed something about this man, something different and powerful. He couldn't pin it down.

"He is a slave," she answered.

"His name?" the sorcerer pressed. She was silent a moment. Finally she replied, "Tabuu."

The sorcerer frowned. Why did that name sound so familiar, he wondered? Why did a chill shoot through him to hear it? "No entourage, no guards? Milady, who is there to _protect_ you?" the man on the throne murmured to her, pushing aside these thoughts.

"I need no protector," she replied vaguely. "I came to discuss a treaty between our lands, no more and no less. If you want more, I have wasted your time and we will be gone by tomorrow's light. Now, show us to our rooms."

"Show them," the sorcerer ordered, waving his hand. Immediately minions of his approached and began leading the Queen and Tabuu through the spacious palace.

Tabuu disliked this place. Its whole aura was just… _wrong_… Something wasn't right here, he knew immediately. There were plans in motion they didn't know about. If only he were at full power, then he could know and ensure that his beloved was safe. "This will be your room, milady," the guard said, gesturing to a beautiful and large room.

"Thank you," she curtly and boredly replied, entering. She paused, turning back, and added, "If any harm befalls my servant, if you mistreat him, you will pay very, very dearly." The guards nodded in agreement and continued to lead Tabuu through the halls.

SMB

The sorcerer dined with his guest and her slave in private. "I would speak to you tonight and alone, your majesty," he said to the Queen.

"In your quarters, I suppose," she remarked.

"If only, but no. In my Library," he answered. "There we will discuss the terms for a treaty between our lands."

"Then I will be there," she answered.

"Dress in something comfortable," the sorcerer said.

"You would like that, I'm sure," she replied icily. The man backed down. Besides, the way this 'servant' of hers was glaring at him… The sorcerer shivered. It unsettled him. The gaze seemed to pierce him through as if lasers shot from the eyes. In fact he was fairly sure that had the man _had_ that ability, he would be dead now. He didn't trust the Shadow Queen's slave. He was too mysterious, too dark, too… too _immortal_… He wasn't sure where that word had come from in describing the mysterious stranger, but he found even _that_ to be an under exaggeration. He would need to be careful, he felt. He would need to take very good care not to be suspected. Or _caught_ for that matter, when finally he had the Queen to himself. No, he hardly planned to assault her for to do so would mean his death, but there were other ways to force her into submission, as he had done for other rulers already.

SMB

She entered the library cautiously. She expected something to be at play here, some ill will against her. She would need to be ready. She entered the room and spotted the sorcerer, her mentor, sitting across a desk and writing up an agreement. She approached and sat across from him. He summoned two cups from nowhere, resting them on the table before each of them. She had no intentions of eating or drinking anything he offered. She looked around the library at the unsettlingly real looking marble statues of rulers of other kingdoms. They didn't sit well with her. When had the sorcerer obtained these, she wondered? She didn't trust it in the least.

"Here are my terms, see if you approve," he soon said to her, slipping the papers over. She took them and began looking through, eyes scanning the treaty. She licked her finger and flipped the next page. She read it through then flipped to the last. Finally she put it down and said, "It is acceptable to me."

"Then sign, Majesty," the sorcerer insisted. She took a quill and wrote her name deftly. "Will you not stay for a drink?" the sorcerer questioned.

"I'm tired. I should go to bed," she replied.

"No, lady, stay," the sorcerer cooed. She shook her head and rose. Unsteadily she wavered and caught the table, fighting to find her balance. Wh-what had happened? _This_ wasn't supposed to occur. He approached her, taking her arms gently. "Maybe you should rest," he said.

"R-rest, y-yes, rest," she dazedly replied. What was happening to her, she wondered? She felt and heard her pulse pounding in her head. Poison? But what could she have possibly done to… Her eyes widened and she looked back to the papers she had signed. The pages… They must have been tainted with _poison_! When she licked her fingers the poison would have transferred to _her_! She gasped on realizing this and tried to pull away only to realize she didn't have the strength in her body. "What-what do you intend to do to me?" she asked, growing weaker and weaker.

"I told you that in exchange for the power I granted, you would owe me something in return. It's time to collect," he answered.

SMB

She felt paralyzed. She couldn't move no matter how hard she tried, standing in place like a statue. He was undressing her, she felt, and taking his time with it, enjoying every moment, but still she refused to panic, thinking up a variety of ways by means of which she could possibly get out of this. Soon she was bare before his eyes, unable to move. She doubted highly that he would assault her, for the man was not the sort, but he was not above other trickeries. The statues of the rulers came to mind and her eyes widened in realization. By the divines… he was transforming her into a sculpture, forever more a decoration for him to relish in and to show off to all those who would come! She would be his prize, and she would still be very much sentient; sentient but eternally trapped in a marble prison, unable to cry out for help, a fate worse than death. He could take her mind over. This was his way of obtaining the world. Encase all of its leaders in a living death.

"Tabuu…" she breathed quietly in hardly a whisper. The sorcerer couldn't hear, she knew. She closed her eyes, focusing all her attention on that one image. Tabuu, behold. Look upon what is happening to your beloved one, she willed. An image slowly began to come into focus and in seconds she beheld the face of her lover before her eyes. His gaze was cold and dangerous. She felt, she _knew_, that he was summarizing the situation.

The sorcerer was entombing her in a marble shell until the time he determined what to do with her as a finality, and still the image of Tabuu watched. She felt as her body began to grow cold and harden. A small scowl crossed Tabuu's features and she smirked. He had heard her plea to him and he had seen what was about to befall her. Limited as his powers currently were, he couldn't physically intervene to help her. However, he could buy her some time. Almost on cue a voice, seemingly of a servant, called, "Sir, there is something you need to attend to!" The sorcerer scowled in annoyance but nonetheless turned his attentions away from her, heading towards the door. She wouldn't be going anywhere, after all.

She waited until she was sure the sorcerer was gone. She closed her eyes, focusing her powers until she felt movement coming back into her limbs. Her strength returning, she was soon able to convert her feet and calves to flesh again. She fell to the ground with a gasp and winced, but again she stood, unwilling to give up so easily. She seized a blanket, wrapping it around her body. Finding her balance once more she quickly left the room and began fleeing towards Tabuu's. She heard the sorcerer scream in outrage on realizing the trick then seeing she was no longer in the library. Immediately she began to run. He would be after her, she knew, and soon enough she heard his racing footsteps pounding behind.

The Shadow Queen raced through the halls. She knew not where Tabuu's room was, but she hardly needed to. He was guiding her path, leading her to him. She could feel the sorcerer's breath on her neck, could almost feel him reaching out and seizing her. "Tabuu, defend me!" she called, crying out to him. After all, though in human form he was, in essence, still a divine. He had retained _something_ of his power, she realized, and she would use it to her advantage. The sorcerer tripped over nothing, giving her a lead. She rounded a corner. There, straight ahead, were the doors to her lover's chamber! She raced to them and began pounding on them. The sorcerer's minions had locked him up from the outside, she realized, so that he couldn't get out and no one could get in. "No," she whispered tensely, eyes becoming for a moment fearful. She heard the man racing towards her, but all at once the doors to Tabuu's chambers flew wide open despite the locks entrapping him. She hardly bothered to question it. She raced inside and into his arms as he commanded the doors to shut once again.

SMB

There was cursing and pounding at the door; then they tried to unlock them with the key. He wouldn't allow it and soon they retreated, giving up the chase. Assured they were gone, he drew back and looked her over appraisingly. His eyes began glittering murderously. She was unclothed, nothing but the silk blanket covering her. "What has he done to you?" Tabuu growled dangerously.

She gazed up at him a long moment. She could lie, of course; it would be so satisfying to see him rip the sorcerer to shreds, after all. Of course he would likely spot the lie. Finally she replied, "He wished to collect on a favor."

"What favor?" Tabuu asked.

"He was the one who taught me my powers," she answered, bowing her head low. "I swore to him that I would pay whatever price he wished of me. He replied that in time he would think of a price to give, and when he did he would summon me to him… He has determined it… He wants my kingdom but knows I will not give it up, and so he has devised a plan against the kings and queens of his mortal world to entomb them all in marble until he alone rules… and I would have been the centerpiece of his collection."

"Does he not want you as a bride?" Tabuu demanded.

"Perhaps once he did, but he knew from the start he would never have me," she answered as she gazed at the ground, her eyes sparkling in fury and anger. "I was stupid, hardly a child, when I agreed to his terms. He is ageless, him and all those within his castle walls, so when the time came that I became queen, his interest in my kingdom was aroused. She trailed off. She hardly needed to carry on. Tabuu got the gist of it. "Because of the terms he set for me long ago, it is within his right to take hold of my kingdom; either through marriage or through imprisonment… But must I honor the bargain, I wonder?" she mused thoughtfully, looking up towards the roof. "To not do so…"

"You must honor the deal, as per his terms," Tabuu stated. She glared furiously at him but said nothing. "Whatever he wishes to do to you, you will let him do, only wait until I have spoken to him," Tabuu continued, ignoring her reproachful gaze.

Immediately she caught on, her eyes slowly widening. "What will you do?" she questioned.

"What I do is not a concern of the mortals who cry out to me for aid," he answered. "You will sleep here tonight, Hecate, and when next you meet our host, you will honor the terms we set out for you."

"Are you so cold and cruel that you would let him ravage me so?" she questioned with a smirk, because you see she _knew_ the answer. He simply bowed low to her, kissing her hand, then rose, taking a sword and exiting his chambers. She watched after him with a smile. The smile became worry, though. The man was powerful; Tabuu had no _idea_ as to how much. "Come back to me unharmed," she murmured after his retreating form.

SMB

Infuriated at the mortal magic wielder's audacity, Tabuu stormed through the corridors, seeking out the man who had so relentlessly pursued his Shadow Queen. He tracked him to the library where he was waiting and ready. Tabuu paused on seeing the powerful spell lighting up in the sorcerer's hand. "So you've come to avenge your mistress's honor, have you? You realize, of course, that you will fall," the man said, a smirk in his voice.

"Mortal, you have no idea what you're dealing with in me," Tabuu coldly and calmly replied, spinning the blade leisurely in his hand.

"Oh I think I do. A slave thinking he can fight? Hah!" the sorcerer taunted.

"If you think you can beat me, come at me," Tabuu challenged. "I give you permission to deliver upon me a strike or two before I retaliate."

"You give me _permission_?" the sorcerer incredulously asked, both amused and angered by the stranger's audacity. Tabuu stood still, leaving himself wide open for attack. "Very well. You are more a fool than I _thought_." Immediately he lunged and Tabuu took the brunt of a furious fire attack. Quickly the man followed up with a lighting one that dropped Tabuu to the ground. Smoothly, however, the immortal recovered, rising again and raising his sword against his attacker.

"Now it is _my_ turn," Tabuu growled dangerously.

SMB

The two men clashed in the center of the library, tearing into each other without restraint and without hesitation. "Die, mortal!" Tabuu furiously screamed on seeing the sorcerer refusing to go down easily.

The sorcerer's eyes widened at the use of the term. Mortal _again_? Why did this stranger called him _mortal_? Immediately his guard flew up and he fought all the harder. It was nothing, though, and slowly but surely this Tabuu was forcing him down into submission! "What _are_ you?!" the sorcerer shrieked in anger. "Why won't you _die_?!" Surely the man had sustained enough damage to down almost _any_ man.

The next thing the sorcerer knew, he was powerless and at Tabuu's mercy. He gazed up at the stranger in awe and disbelief as the burns and cuts slowly healed before his very eyes. "You are mine now," Tabuu stated coldly.

"What-what _are_ you?" the sorcerer stammered.

Tabuu dragged him to his feet and threw him down over a table, pinning him there. "Read your scrolls," he answered. "There you will find a legend; the legend of Master Hand and Crazy Hand, and a great competition between the two brothers. A competition Crazy Hand _won_."

The sorcerer paled. "Tabuu," he hoarsely said. _That_ was where he'd heard the name before. Oh gods, he had insulted a _divine_!

He screamed in anguish as suddenly Tabuu brought his blade down on the sorcerer's wrists, severing his hands from his arms. The sorcerer continued shrieking in terror and pain. Why wasn't blood pouring from his stumps, he wondered? Then he knew. It was Tabuu's doing. The blade the deity had used had not been of this mortal coil. "You will not offend my Shadow Queen again," he whispered darkly to the man. "I have granted you permission to keep your hands, considering of course you can reattach them to your body, but the mark from where I severed them will be there for all eternity, a constant reminder to you that if _ever_ you should think to take advantage of my beloved again, you will _not_ be so lucky. Now beg me for mercy, human, and tell me something worth sparing your life over… or perhaps I will change my mind."

SMB

Thinking fast, the sorcerer went through all his options. His eyes lit up in realization. He knew what to offer the deity! "I know you; I know what happened so long ago up in Star Haven. I know they cast you to Earth as eternal punishment for your involvement in the collapse of the Tribe of the Ancients. Surely you long for revenge for such a dishonor," the sorcerer quickly said, desperate to once again find favor in the eyes of this immortal being trapped within the limitations of a human body.

Tabuu was silent. Finally he said, "You have intrigued me. Speak."

"Th-there is a prophecy; two-two children born into the world on two particularly magical nights; embodiments of Darkness and Light. Some years will separate them, though not many. Their-their fates will be a mystery, two-two destinies completely untouched by the Fates. They will become the chosen ones of the gods and the Star Spirits _alike_. They will-they will keep the world in balance and at peace," the sorcerer supplied quickly. Tabuu was silent a long moment, and for a second the sorcerer thought he would die. All at once, though, Tabuu released him to heal himself without a word more.

"You will release the kings and queens of the earth," Tabuu warned dangerously, giving the mortal a scathing glare. The sorcerer, for a moment, looked ready to protest. "Will you be so foolhardy as to go against the orders of a god?" Tabuu growled. The sorcerer was silent, saying and doing nothing. He would comply, Tabuu sensed, and even if he didn't the immortal hardly cared. The Star Spirits would right the wrong of their own accord and in their own time.

Two children untouched by fate or destiny, embodiments of Light and Darkness, chosen ones of the Star Spirits and by extension Master Hand. It was _perfect_. This… this was his opportunity to rise again and take vengeance upon those who had cast him to this miserable, wretched plain of existence. Oh yes, vengeance still burned very brightly in his heart, shutting out all else; but how to _act_ on it? He needed to take hold of a plane over which he would rule as a deity; to do so he would need to collect his allotment from his father; to speak to his father he would need to once more become a divine which would require playing the part of having forgiven and forgotten. Hmm… to complete his plan in the _first_ place he would need at least a good portion of his powers back so he would be able to enter Star Haven once again. How could he possibly achieve this thing in this less than impressive human body he was stuck in? That was a matter he would have to work out. Until then, though, he had to return to Hecate.


	8. Return to Immortality

**Chronicles of the Stars 5: Tainted Shadows**

(A/N: This chapter leads up to a very dark next chapter, again with quite touchy subject matter and really the main cause of my concern with this story, along with the assault scene in Chapter 5. However, this is a dark romance for a reason, I suppose. Still, be warned.)

Return to Immortality

She listened carefully to his lament as he told her of all the sorcerer had said, all he desired to do, and all that kept him from achieving his goals. He was miserable, she saw. She despised seeing him so forlorn and lost. It hurt, she realized. It had been a long time since she had felt hurt because of the pain of another. As he narrated, she thought the matter over carefully. He soon stopped. She felt his eyes on her and met them slowly. "Do not fret, my love. You will _have_ all your heart desires," she cooed to him, leaning forward in her seat and taking him into her arms. "You will have your vengeance."

"In _this_ form?" he disgustedly asked, looking himself over.

Stroking him gently, she whispered, her eyes dancing villainously, "I will find a way." He raised an eyebrow at this before smirking wickedly.

"You will," he replied. Not for a moment did he doubt she would do all she had said. He leaned forward, trapping her lips with his and pushing her down on her couch, entering her body.

SMB

The Shadow Queen approached the ancient and decrepit temple. For centuries it had stood here, a monument to all that was dark and evil. She entered it silently and approached the grand hall. There, resting on a pedestal, was a menacing jewel glistening. She approached it carefully and placed her hand on its surface. "Black Jewel, awaken," she whispered to it.

The Black Jewel began to grumble and creak. Slowly its red eye opened and fell on her. "Who disturbs me?" it lowly rumbled, making the temple quake in an effort to prompt fear. The Shadow Queen was unfazed.

"The Shadow Queen," she answered.

"Hecate," the Black Jewel growled, immediately scanning her and realizing who she was. "What have you come here for?" it—_he_?—wondered.

"I have come to make a bargain," she answered.

"Why should I deal with you?" it wondered.

"Because the world is to gain if you do," she purred to it.

It was silent a long moment. Finally it asked, "What drives you to make such a powerful plea?"

"What does the name Tabuu mean to you?" she questioned. The jewel reacted accordingly, hissing in alarm as its eyes widened in disbelief.

"Tabuu? What has he to do with this? Lady, if you are mixing with that dark deity it will only end in regrets and pain," the jewel warned.

"Oh it goes beyond mixing," she answered. "He has chosen me as his consort."

The Black Jewel was silent, digesting this. Finally it replied, "You are being deceived, Hecate. Shadow Queen, he cannot love. He is incapable of it. The moment he has taken what he pines for from you, he will abandon you."

SMB

The Shadow Queen started on hearing these words, a moment of uncertainty flashing through her eyes. "How can you be so certain?" she finally asked.

"Taboo is a word that means forbidden, unthinkable, and offensive. I take from that what I have," the Black Jewel vaguely replied, but she knew, she sensed, there was more to it. "Tabuu is a god, Shadow Queen. Of what use is a mortal to a god except for to pleasure himself with? Sexually as well as by cursing or toying with them. Surely you have seen his distaste for this place, this land. It can never be, for he will not remain here, and you cannot join him in his realm of Star Haven."

"He has no realm any longer. They cast him to earth, stripping him of all that they could; powers, immortal form, immortal speech, and grace. They cursed him to a human body and left him to die amongst our kind," she said.

"I can promise you that if they did such a thing, it was for good reason. They should have done it _long_ ago. Tabuu is powerful; perhaps too much so for his own good. What they did to him would have been no more than he deserved; perhaps even less than what they should have," the Black Jewel said.

"Enough of this! I won't hear it any longer!" she shot sharply, but she was shaken and _that_ was a _certainty_. For the first time she found herself uneasy. "I will set you free from this temple you have been imprisoned in. The Spritelings will be unable to stop it. The world will be yours for the taking… but in exchange you must do something for _me_."

"What are your terms?" it questioned.

"You will restore Tabuu's immortality to him," she answered evenly.

"What you see now as a bargain will quickly become a curse should you go through with it. He will _not_ stay to protect and defend you from me," the Black Jewel warned. "And like the rest of the world, you will become my prisoner for me to do with you as I please. Are you truly willing to risk this fate for him?"

For a long moment she was silent. Finally she replied, "I am."

"So be it," the Black Jewel answered. "Release me."

SMB

Meanwhile, back in the palace, Tabuu was jolted awake at a sudden surge of power flowing through him! He jerked up with a cry of pain as he felt it coursing through his body and through his veins. "Wh-what is _happening_?" he exclaimed, writhing in anguish. What was this sensation? What was this that was inflicting him? Wait… _Hecate_. His eyes widened in realization. She had been true to her word. She had found a way to restore his immortality!

SMB

Hecate emerged from the temple, the Black Jewel behind her. She suddenly cringed in pain, holding her head as she felt a sudden spike around her. "He is regaining his immortality; a god on earth," the Black Jewel said, noting her sudden discomfort. "When you return, he will not be there; or if he is it will not be for long. Don't say I didn't warn you."

"Perhaps you are right, but I love him… He will be free, that is all I want. He may stay or he may leave, but he will be free again…" she replied softly.

"He will forsake you," the Black Jewel said.

"Then so be it. I will pay the price for my error in judgement. Should he leave I will be stricken with grief, but as long as he is free I will be at peace with myself," she answered. Swiftly she started back towards her palace, leaving the Black Jewel to its plans for World Domination. As she walked she heard it summoning forth those that would be its army, and she knew in that instant that she had made a grievous error in judgement.

SMB

She entered her palace. It was silent. She went to her bedroom. He was gone. She lay down silently and waited, hoping and praying he had remained; even if only a little longer. Tears threatened her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. If he left, he would never return, she realized. The door opened suddenly. She neither moved nor reacted. Footsteps approached her bed and she took a deep breath, rolling over to face the one who had entered. She saw him coming towards her, still in mortal form. "Do you know what I have done for you?" she murmured softly to him.

He paused next to her. After a moment he answered, "I know." Wordlessly he lay down beside her and watched the tears in her eyes quietly, summing her up.

"You will leave…" she said softly.

"Did you think I would be grateful enough to _stay_?" he wondered.

"No… but at least you were grateful enough to say goodbye," she replied.

He was quiet. "I loved you; you must know that," he finally said to her.

Words were empty, she'd always believed, so she hardly acknowledged he had spoken them. "Did… did it work? Are you what you were meant to be again?" she wondered, because he looked unchanged to _her_.

A smirk crossed his features, something between vindictive and amused. "Yes, milady. You will soon see how well it worked. Behold my true form," he whispered to her.

He stood then, backing slowly away from her. She watched in awe as light began to swirl around the man, as slowly he began to rise into the air, his body glowing with an otherworldly and ghostly light. Before her eyes his mortal form dissolved, and he became a being so _complex_ and ambiguous in its nature that the figure appeared an illusion, almost wraithlike, almost little more than a sequence of patterns that made up something in the likeness of a human being, a man.

She watched him in awe and wonder. This had been what had shared her bed so often before. This had been the deity who had claimed her as his. This had been the creature she had had relations with. This was… there were no words to _describe_ it. All at once two large wings spread from his body, and she caught her breath in awe, stricken by the beauty of the figure hovering before her; and the wings, oh his wings… there was nothing remotely similar to them anywhere in _nature_ or _myth_. "Tabuu…" she breathed.

He met her eyes, his expression unreadable for the mouth that didn't exist, and those black—or were they white? Perhaps they were no color at all—glowing eyes… She couldn't move, and he simply chose _not_ to. Finally he turned his head towards the window, gazing up at the sky, at the domain of the gods. It was time to claim his place amongst them again and gain his allotment.

SMB

All at once he shot from her room, flying out of the tower and making his way back to what used to be his home. She raced to the window and looked out of it after his retreating form. She wanted to scream his name, to beg him to come back, but how could she hope to hold down a deity? There was nothing she could say or do to bring him back. Had the Black Jewel been right? Had she truly been so badly _deceived_ by him? She would never see him again, she suddenly thought in terror. She would never see him again!

All at once she burst into tears, collapsing to her knees and burying her head in her arms weeping. She longed to curse him with her every fibre, yet even _now_ she couldn't bring herself to… So she just stayed there at her window, sobbing for all she had lost, cursing the fool she had been to have believed for a moment that he had cared for her. But he _had_ cared for her, she _knew_ this… He _had_ to have cared… Or perhaps it had all been a part of his lie. She no longer knew, and it no longer mattered. He was gone… She cried herself to sleep that night.

SMB

He floated defiantly before the eyes of the stunned gods of Star Haven, none more shocked than Master Hand. Crazy Hand was positively giddy, floating around boastfully and cackling at his victory. His creation, his son, had defied his fate and had returned to them in all of his glory and power. There was nothing anyone could do to deny that fact. They could hardly take away his powers again, for again he would find a loophole. The Cosmic Spirit watched on, unsure what to make of her cousin's return and his abandonment of his mortal love.

"Wh-why have you come back?" Eldstar, flustered, stammered in fear at the intimidating form before them.

"I have returned to seize my allotment, the plane over which I will reside as deity," Tabuu said flatly to them, gazing dangerously at the group as if challenging them to deny him his birthright.

"You shall have it, child. Give him his inheritance, give him his allotment!" Crazy Hand insisted, floating madly around his brother and laughing proudly. "Though banished to the mortal realm, here he is before us in all his glory once again. You will have what was rightfully reserved to you, my son. Subspace, give him over to be the god of Subspace. Oh my child, I would grant you so much better if only I could."

"I could ask no better than that which you offer me, father," Tabuu answered, and if truth were to be told the idea of Subspace appealed very _much_ to him. The others saw no potential in it, not one of them longed to rule it as their own, but _he_ saw its worth.

"Give him his birthright, give him authority over the realm of Subspace," Crazy Hand menacingly said to his brother.

Master Hand looked back out over the Star Spirits and Elemental gods. "What say you?!" he called to them all.

"Give him his authority, give him his allocation," they all replied together, for surely not one of them wished to get into a battle with the dark and deadly being.

Master Hand turned once more to Tabuu. "So be it. You, nephew, will rule as the god of Subspace… But you are never to set foot in Star Haven again; not unless directly invited. You will remain in exile for eternity. No more are you welcome here amongst us, for your wrongdoings are unforgivable. Quit our sight for the last time, Tabuu, unless otherwise called to us, and take control over your realm."

Tabuu bowed his head low, accepting the declaration. Now that he had his base of operations and all the powers it entailed… inwardly he laughed darkly. Nothing now would spare his fellow divinities his wrath. That they would dare to make him an outcast, a prisoner… And though they had shown him something of a mercy, he would not be so forgiving. All he needed to do was bide his time. Bide his time and wait for the embodiments of Light and Darkness to be born into the world. _Then_ he would take his revenge. _Then_ they would know the mistake they had made in spurning him.


	9. Return

**Chronicles of the Stars 5: Tainted Shadows**

(A/N: Warning, this is another pretty dark chapter with a fair bit of mature subject matter. It may be darker than even Ch.5 depending on how I edit this one. I don't think it's going to be too bad, when I give a warning it usually implies worse than what the chapter offers, but better safe than sorry. Just be cautioned. Oh, and for those of you who don't know, the Black Jewel was the main antagonist in the game Wario World.)

Return

Years had gone by since the night he had left. The Black Jewel had all but taken over the world, and only _she_ yet stood against him… But her power had waned, and his forces had become too great. They were marching upon the Castle. She could hear them from her Throne Room where she sat alone. They would come for her, she knew. Part of her longed to call out for his protection, Tabuu's… Her pride rejected the notion. It rejected the notion just as it rejected the idea of bending her knee to the Evil Black Jewel. It had been right… the Jewel had been right… She had been deceived, and it had cost her everything…

SMB

She heard the potent army sweeping through her castle, heard the screams of the men and women dying all around her or being taken into captivity. Soon she would join them. She gazed stonily up at the doors. Seconds later they were pushed open. In floated the Black Jewel, its powerful army following it. She made no move to rise or fight. There was silence. Finally the Black Jewel said, "I warned you about what would befall you should you choose to help your divine lover."

"I do not regret it," she replied.

"But you will… He has forsaken you," the Jewel said.

"He has," she confirmed steadily, refusing to allow herself to waver or be shaken. She debated, briefly, whether to rise and fight. She decided against it just as quickly. She knew that if she rose and turned her powers against the Jewel, it would drain her of them. Perhaps it would _regardless_. It hardly mattered to her anymore.

"Bend your knee to me," the Black Jewel commanded.

"I would sooner die," she answered, not moving from her place.

"That can be arranged… but I have plans for you of my _own_," the Jewel darkly said.

SMB

All at once the Jewel shot a powerful beam at her, piercing her through. She screamed in anguish as she felt her powers slowly being drained. Finally they were robbed of her, and she collapsed over the arm of her throne with a gasp, hardly able to move anymore. She couldn't remember a time when she had felt so _weak_… Two of the Black Jewel's minions approached her and pulled her to her feet, holding the conquered queen between them. She gazed proudly and defiantly at the Jewel, meeting its eye steadily.

"Surrender to me," the Jewel commanded.

"I will not," she answered.

"We will see," the Jewel answered as one of the army advanced upon the woman with a red hot poker held in his hand. The door to the Throne Room closed behind them, muffling the Shadow Queen's shrieks and cries of anguish…

SMB

And so she was taken captive, brought into the Temple from which the Black Jewel ruled. Her wrists bound tightly in front of her, she had been stripped naked and clothed in rags, shamed and humbled before the eyes of the whole of the opposing army… Within the confines of her palace they had carved out her eyes before the faces of her own people while she writhed desperately in the grasps of the minions who had taken hold of her. The once proud queen was forced into servitude and placed in the barracks of the Black Jewel's Generals.

For years she slaved, stumbling in darkness, mocked, taunted, tormented, abused, used… How she longed for death, but her stubborn pride would not allow her to fall to despair deep enough to take her own life. Not when she was stripped down to nothing and beaten mercilessly by the men whom she tended for a mistake, not when they took her into their beds and had their way with her until her every bone ached and she swore she would die before being passed to the next man who would take pleasure in her until each had had their fill. She was powerless; the Jewel ensured she _remained_ that way. The Jewel ensured that no matter how strong her fighting spirit was, she couldn't hope to stand.

Day in and day out her life was anguish and humiliation, despair and desperation. She wanted to escape. She would not give up until she was free again… But what could she do when she was this way, and all around her were beings that were… men yet something more powerful. She lay in a bed as one of these generals, these beings, forced himself deeper and deeper inside of her body, moving with such force that she could feel her bones breaking beneath him. She wouldn't sob, though, and she wouldn't scream… But she was whispering a name over and over again. "Tabuu, Tabuu, Tabuu," she kept murmuring, hoping against hope that her old lover would hear her pleas and be touched by them once more.

Oh my darling, I do not ask for you to stay, only come to me; offer me one last comfort and avenge the disgrace that had befallen your beloved one. "Tabuu," she whimpered softly as her body writhed and arched up beneath the body of her attacker. "Hear my lament…" He wouldn't, though, he never _would_. He had turned his back on her. He had rejected her. He had tuned her out… He had abandoned her, and she was utterly alone. This was the fate she was doomed to suffer for the rest of her days, repayment for the wickedness she had displayed during her rule. Because she had pitied none, no pity would come to her, and she would pay eternally for her cruelty. No savior would come this time…

SMB

In the heights of Star Haven the Cosmic Spirit watched the woman's plight, misery and pity in her eyes, and so she resolved to intervene. She alone _could_, for she was greatly loved by all those in Star Haven… So she would go against the orders of her fellow deities, and she would reawaken her cousin in secret. It would not matter if she was caught, for she was held in the deepest regard by all her fellows and her father was Master Hand himself, she his favorite of all. She would awaken Tabuu again, and he would intervene. She knew that now. Tabuu had truly loved the Queen… "Tabuu arise, cousin awaken," she said softly, ensuring her voice was heard by him…

In the depths of Subspace, a furious and anguished roar was heard. The whole of the realm began to quake and shake as if suffering some great earthquake; and all who abided within the vast nothingness knew… _He_ had been awakened, their master and ruler. He had been awakened, and whatever it had been that had roused him from his long dormant state was something close to his heart… and if it had been wounded, the one who had caused this thing close to his heart such pain and sorrow would _regret_ the day they came into _existence_…

SMB

A mortal approached the palace of the Black Jewel. He sat high upon a glorious steed, richly dressed, and rode into sight alone. The Black Jewel floated outside of its palace waiting for this stranger, this guest, to approach that which ruled this world. The guest dismounted and strode towards the Jewel boldly.

"You are either a fool or unafraid to die if you have come here unbidden," the Jewel said.

"I wished only to lay eyes upon that great and wondrous gem which has so easily bent the world to his whims," the stranger replied, bowing low and kneeling.

The Jewel approved of this display of reverence. "I approve of you, stranger," it remarked. "What is the name you go by?"

"My name is a mystery," the stranger replied. "It is unworthy of being spoken in the presence of one such as you, your majesty."

"Guards, take him to the tower that houses my finest generals. There he is to be tended to as if he were royalty himself," the Jewel declared, approving of this mortal.

"You honor me too much, milord," the stranger murmured. Or perhaps not enough…

SMB

He had been shown to his room. "No doubt you desire to bathe after your long trip, guest," one of the generals said to him.

"I would," he replied.

"Where is the wench?" the General demanded of another.

"In the gardens washing clothes," the other replied.

"A servant of the Black Jewel's?" the stranger wondered impersonally.

"Aye," the eerie General stated. "He gives little thought to what befalls the slaves in his castle. He cares not for the well-being of mortals. Neither do we. We are free to do what we please with her, if you know what I mean."

"I do," the stranger replied. "Lead me to this… wench," he said, and the word 'wench' tasted foul in his own mouth so that he was disgusted at it. Then again he was disgusted with _much_ of the mortal tongues.

They led him outside to where she knelt, clothed in nothing and bent over the washing she was doing. Slowly his lips parted on seeing her, dismay in his eyes before quickly he hid it away. She heard them coming and turned her head ever so slightly in that direction, her empty eyes hidden by the blindfold she wore. He wondered very much as to _why_ she had been blindfolded. She sensed the guest's presence and frowned. So foreign and yet somehow it seemed familiar to her. "Who comes?" she demanded authoritatively.

"A guest. A stranger who will be staying here for some time. He has travelled far, slave. He has requested a bath. Ensure it is… pleasurable for him," the General escorting the stranger said. She turned, bowing low to the ground before the stranger. He felt his heart clench within him. How was it that she had come to look so broken yet still possess within herself such boldness, such defiance and pride unlike any he had _felt_ before? Here she was, a mere slave reduced to nothing, but still she carried herself like a Queen despite her bowing to him. She rose and began finding her way through the courtyard and towards the living quarters.

SMB

She had drawn a warm basin of water for him as he sat, watching her every move appraisingly and marvelling at how she was able to find her way around though blindfolded and surely in darkness. He rose, as she finished, and was about to undress. But _she_ came to him and began undressing him _instead_. He raised an eyebrow at this. He didn't approve of how well she seemed to know her way around. "For how many men have you done this subservient thing?" he questioned, taking care to mask the distaste and anger that insisted on trying to tinge his tone.

"For them all," she answered simply, finishing her task. She brought him to the basin and gestured for him to get into the water. He stepped into it and waited. She bent, picking up a sponge, then rose and squeezed it out over his head, so close that all he needed to do was reach out and take her into his arms. He refrained, however, standing still. "Why do you hesitate in taking me?" she wondered after a moment as she washed him. "No other man has. You will not be frowned upon should you act on your impulse."

"So willing to submit your body to me," he murmured.

"My body has been defiled so many times over that it hardly _matters_ anymore," she replied quietly as she began to wash lower down. "I will be yours to take pleasure in tonight _regardless_."

She was hesitating to wash below his waist, he noted, so he reached out, taking her wrists and pulling them away from the area. He took hold of the sponge and pulled it from her hands. He finished washing himself quickly as she stood, obviously stunned at this turn of events and trying to determine what he was feeling. Was he angry, vengeful, _malicious_?

He finished bathing then stepped from the washbasin, clothing himself again. He glanced back at her. She hadn't moved. "Dress yourself," he ordered.

"For what reason?" she questioned. "There isn't a man here who has not seen me in this state, and the rags I wear are hardly anything more."

He stiffened, eyes narrowing furiously as he gazed towards the door blocking him from all those who lived in these quarters. After a moment he turned around. "Come," he ordered. She came to him obediently. He picked up a nearby towel and draped it around her. "You do not need to play the part of harlot for me." She was silent but nonetheless accepted the towel, holding it around her body. It was a comfort to her, in a way, a protection from the prying eyes of the otherworldly creatures the Black Jewel called his subjects; the creatures that were not human and were powerful…

SMB

She knelt on his bed. Part of her still awaited his demand that she accompany him. He did nothing but watch the blindfolded woman appraisingly. Gently he reached out, his hand brushing her cheek. He felt and saw in that touch all that had befallen her, the terror and pain and hatred and misery she had suffered for all these years since he had left her for nothing. "How many of your bones have broken under the force of their lustful advances?" he murmured, tracing a hand down over her shoulder and arm, decorated by so many bruises and cuts.

"Many," she answered vaguely. She hardly knew anymore.

"How badly have they hurt you, my treacherous Shadow Queen?" he wondered.

He felt her body stiffen beneath his touch. "How do you know me?" she asked in a whisper.

"You are remembered, my dark and divine lady. Your name has not been erased as easily as you believe," he answered in a murmur. "Hecate…" She shivered at his use of her name. It sounded so familiar in his mouth… "How badly have they hurt you?" he repeated.

"If only I knew," she replied quietly, covering her abdomen… her womb. She didn't know, he realized, if she would ever be able to give birth or if she had been too badly damaged.

"Why do you wear that blindfold?" he wondered, watching it suspiciously.

She was silent. Finally she answered, "Remove it and you will see what grievous harm they did to me the day they took me captive from my palace." He reached out lightly and took hold of the blindfold. He paused for a moment, then with one motion he tore it from off of her eyes.

SMB

He caught his breath on seeing. There was nothing there! Only two empty sockets where they had once been. He felt his body beginning to quake in rage and fury. What insolence was _this_? What grave harms had they set upon his mistress, his beloved? "What gross disrespect is this thing that they have put on you?" he questioned in a dark growl, tracing her empty eyes with his thumbs as he held her face gently. "Have you no savior, no friend or ally in this place that would protect you?"

She began to weep, then, covering her mouth, and his rage grew all the more. "I have called to my savior but he has not answered. For years and years I have screamed out to him, shrieked his name to the skies and pled for his mercy and his protection. My love will not answer me. My love has forsaken me, and I will find no mercy in him. My love had deserted me…"

No, my girl companion, I have not deserted you. I will never desert you _again_! "Hecate!" he exclaimed, suddenly sobbing. What was this thing he was feeling, this mortal emotion? What were these drops of rain in his eyes? Tears, the mortals called them. What were these tears upon his face? He drew her near, burying his face in her hair unable to hold back any longer. He wept shamelessly upon her and kissed her hair desperately, begging and pleading for her forgiveness.

SMB

Chills shot through her body as her lips parted in disbelief and fear and longing and horror all at once. She knew his touch. She knew his _touch_! His touch that felt icy against her skin. His touch that made it seem as though death itself had reached out and taken hold of you. "Tabuu…" she breathed, hardly daring to believe that she wasn't dreaming.

"Did you think I could leave you forever? I have come, my cherished one, I have come. I only wish I had not come too late!" he sobbed, holding her tightly. "I have heard your cries and your laments; not one has escaped me. That I could not awaken sooner…"

"Why…?" she asked, voice breaking. "Why didn't you come?"

"Because even in immortality I am no freer than I was when imprisoned, and in my exile I was put to sleep until the time came I was needed. But the Cosmic Spirit has seen your plight, and she herself took pity on you and aroused me from my slumber, granting me the ability to hear your cries once more," he answered. She dissolved into his arms, letting herself weep unrestricted.

"I am broken," she said in her despair. "There is nothing left of the Queen with whom you fell in love. You are too late. Leave me… _Leave_ me!"

"Never," he refused. His tears had dried now, giving way to hatred and anger as his body shook with rage. "Never!" he yelled furiously, pushing her back and gazing into what had once been her eyes. He felt his blood boiling at the sight of the empty sockets.

"If ever you loved me, take my life," she whispered to him. "Take my life and avenge my fate upon those who have wronged me… I want to die…"

SMB

These were the words that drove him over the edge. With a scream of rage he forsook his mortal form and burst forth in all his glory, his true image, his divine beauty. She caught her breath, falling back in fear and wonder. She sensed the change in the atmosphere yet couldn't see it. Gods, she had never _sensed_ him so incensed. He gazed down at her, his eyes burning murderously. He alighted before her and leaned forward, kissing her empty sockets. His own eyes lit up with something akin to lasers and burned themselves into hers. Her vision was returning, she realized with a start. Her vision was returning! He was restoring her sight!

She could make out shapes now, but they were dark. "You will see me soon enough," he whispered to her softly. All at once he had vanished, flying out of the room with weapons raised.

SMB

Tabuu shot through the corridors like a shrieking wind, entering rooms without even having to bother passing through doors. The first man hadn't seen or felt a thing. His head had been taken off long before he'd had opportunity. The second, however, had spotted him coming. Tabuu smirked. Oh how he'd relished in the look of absolute terror as he'd run the man through with his ethereal blade. The next had died in a hail of missiles that had shredded him to pieces. The one after had been strangled mercilessly. He continued raging through the barracks of the Generals, tearing them to shreds so that the whole of the palace echoed with shrieks of death, terror, and agony, the screams filling the night. He continued raging and slaughtering so that the whole barracks came to be bathed red in blood. Oh the satisfaction he took from this…

Darkly he laughed, watching the light of life fading from another man's eyes. He spun swiftly and ensnared the most recent fatality's friend, turning himself into brackets and carrying him high above ground, the General begging for mercy. None would come. Tabuu dropped him without remorse. When he determined the tower was a suitable shade of red he moved onto another and another, and each man innocent of harming his lover or not suffered fates so gruesome words could hardly be used to describe them. Finally, when his rage had subsided and his bloodlust satiated, he returned to her.

SMB

She had heard the screams of horror and fear as Tabuu ripped through the palace, slaughtering all who dared to try and stand in his way. She struggled to find her vision again for the first time in years. Slowly it was returning to her. All at once it was silent…

Her vision was still hazy. She gasped as the door opened, quickly looking over. A blurry form was walking towards her, his footsteps dripping with an ethereal liquid as he crossed the floor slowly. He took her arms. Gaping up at him in awe, she watched his face until finally it came into focus. She gasped, feeling her knees buckling beneath her as emotions began overwhelming her being. He held her firmly in his otherworldly embrace. "Do you not see that you are too late?" she whispered quietly to him. "There is nothing left to salvage as yours."

"Lady, long have I loved you. I would have you for my wife. Until you belong to me and me alone, I will not leave this mortal coil," he vehemently vowed, his grip on her arms tightening all the more firmly.

"I cannot escape the Black Jewel," she said.

"You will be free," he vowed. With that he opened his hand and forty tiny figures appeared. He tossed them up into the air and she watched in awe and wonder as they grew.

"The Spritelings," she breathed. So _that_ was where they had gone all those years ago. Laughing, the forty creatures zipped out of the window, tearing towards the Black Jewel's chamber.

"They will have it. They will imprison it," Tabuu declared. Without a word more he drew her close, desperately and longingly seizing her lips with his and embracing her. She felt power flowing back into her veins and she knew immediately what he was doing. He had returned to her the mystical abilities the Black Jewel had stolen from her, even _adding_ to her skill; and now she was more powerful than ever before… Now she was free. She was free. The nightmare, it was over. He had returned to her again, he had avenged her, and she was safe in his arms. She would forever more be safe in his arms. She burst into tears, overwhelmed, and collapsed against him shivering violently. He clutched her tightly, possessively; and gods help whoever dared to try and intrude on this moment…


	10. A Steep Price to Pay

**Chronicles of the Stars 5: Tainted Shadows**

(A/N: Wow, I've been so bad at posting recently… Plot twist! Oh yeah. Not sure how significant of one, as these last few chapters are greatly revamped to include more detail, and this idea was actually kind of last second, but yeah… Tabuu's about to find out how badly arrogance, power, and pride can backfire. Again, it all leads up to the next installment of this series.)

A Steep Price to Pay

It wasn't long before the Black Jewel was subdued by the Spritelings and imprisoned again. Over time the world returned to normal. Well, as normal as could be expected given all it had gone through. She had been badly hurt, he saw this all too plainly and reacted accordingly. Perhaps in that way he was more badly traumatized than she. She wanted to go on as if it had never happened. He wasn't quite so willing. Now no man was permitted to draw near to her without him being near at hand or soothing her mind from afar. Any who so much as spared her a look from the corner of their eyes he ensured rued the day they were born. He would make her his bride. She belonged to _him_, and no other was permitted to touch her.

He watched from Subspace as she rested in her garden, combing her hair and humming a soft tune. It was time to go to her. He wrapped his wings around his body and leapt into the air, spinning at a breakneck pace and warping. He appeared behind her in the garden and floated towards her, wings extended widely. It was something of a show of power and beauty, a mating ritual in a way. "Hecate," he transmitted through thought.

She turned quickly, startled, then smiled gently on seeing him. She rose, turning. "Why have you called me, milord?" she questioned. It was through thought that he often communicated with her in this form. He was never designed, she knew, with speech in the forefront of Crazy Hand's mind, though he was capable of it. He extended his hand towards her wordlessly. She made no move a moment, but soon she placed her hand in his. "What is it you desire of me?" she wondered.

"You will be my bride," he answered. He would give her no option to refuse. He would not ask. Asking implied she had a choice. She didn't. Not when his sights were set on her.

"Would you force me to be yours?" she pouted, feigning displeasure.

"Will I need to?" he questioned in response.

She chuckled darkly. "I will be your wife," she answered simply. He pulled her from the ground and into his arms, darting towards Star Haven. By means of the Cosmic Spirit he had made a bargain with the Star Spirits, Master Hand, and Crazy Hand. This visit would not classify as a strike against him… But this visit would likely be his _last_… Very soon he would make those who had turned their backs on him rue the day they had cast him from his home. They had done much to try and appease him, but not even Subspace, the Shadow Queen, and this mercy were enough to quench his fury. They knew that all too well. The Star Spirits and Elemental Deities waited each day in fear of what he would do in revenge against them. They knew the day would come soon. They only wished they knew what it would be.

SMB

He led her into the midst of Star Haven. She could only gaze about in shock, lips parted as she took in the splendor of this domain. She looked ahead and caught her breath. There before her floated the Seven Star Spirits! Above them floated Crazy Hand and Master Hand; below them stood the ethereal Cosmic Spirit, the Elemental gods at her back. "This is the one I have chosen," Tabuu said, eyes fixed on his father Crazy Hand, almost defying him to oppose his mortal choice.

"A mortal, pah," Crazy Hand disdainfully spat. "You could have done so much better."

"This is the one I have chosen," Tabuu repeated, not to be deterred.

"As you wish it, child," Crazy Hand answered, moping about the selection. "She is _certainly_ more powerful than I could have ever begun to imagine."

The Cosmic Spirit approached, bearing a bowl full of a sparkling liquid. "Drink from the bowl, each on in turn. Your union will be complete with the blessings of the immortals," she said to her cousin. "Be sure, Shadow Queen, that you truly wish to bind yourself to a betrayer."

"I was under the impression you were close to him," Hecate replied coldly.

"I am, but I will not lie about what he is," the Cosmic Spirit replied.

"Nor will I lie as to my nature," Tabuu agreed. He took the bowl from the Cosmic Spirit's hands and turned to the Shadow Queen. When the ritual is complete, you will be mine," he murmured to her. He sipped from the sweet and thick liquid then handed the bowl to her. She sipped from it softly and shivered at the otherworldly texture and taste. She drew the bowl from her lips and the Cosmic Spirit took it. Ethereal lights and sparkles began to surround the two as the Star Spirits and Elemental Divines all began chanting something together as one, making the whole of Star Haven quake. She shivered in wonder and anticipation, gazing around at the spectacular lights dancing in the sky and the things shimmering around them, swallowing them in a bright yet dark light. Soon the chant stopped.

"I approve," Crazy Hand declared, looking at the two.

"Then I allow it," Master Hand stated. "She belongs to you." Tabuu knelt low before them, nodding for her to follow his lead. She did so. All at once he spun, catching her up into his arms and leaping into the air, vanishing from Star Haven like a streak of light.

"And now it begins…" the Cosmic Spirit softly said. "Now he starts to plot."

"He has begun already, my child," Master Hand murmured gravely to his daughter…

SMB

"We are one," Tabuu whispered to her that night as they lay together after consummating their marriage. She took his lips willingly, arching her body up to catch his mouth with hers. She pulled him gently to her, letting his head rest on her chest.

"For how long?" she wondered. He was silent. "I _know_ you nurse vengeance in your heart. You are waiting for the births of the children, the birth of Light and Darkness. You know it will not be long now, I can _feel_ it in you."

"There is a woman, pregnant for the first time. Her child will be born on the night of an otherworldly meteor shower, a feat sent by the Star Spirits to celebrate their coming to be," he remarked.

"Who will this child be?" she wondered.

"A little girl, the embodiment of light. Some years later, on the night of an outstanding festival of lights conjured by the Elemental Divines to cheer their existence, there will be born to the same woman a child, a son, and he will embody darkness. In three weeks' time I will strike, cursing her womb; cursing the unborn child and the little boy who is yet to be conceived," he stated.

"And if you are caught?" she wondered.

He was silent a long moment. Finally he replied, "An eternity of imprisonment, never to leave Subspace on penalty of death."

"You are a god, you cannot die," she said, worry coming to her eyes. He rose from off of her and she gazed at his chest where there was situated an orb, an eye of sorts. Realization dawned on her.

"When we came about, my cousin and I, we were both given foils… Mine was this… This is my life source, and without it I will fade out of existence," he replied. "Gods cannot die, no, but they can disappear… In my case to disappear will be my death, for unless circumstances become extreme no one will call me back to existence as they otherwise would have done."

"Don't risk your life for this," she pled softly. "I can't lose you."

"Hush, my darling, think not of this now," he murmured to her. "We have some years yet left before the son is born."

"Who will the mother be?" she questioned curiously.

"I do not know," he answered. "Only time will reveal it."

"Time is a dangerous thing," she replied.

SMB

She watched him silently three weeks later, pain in her eyes as he drew from his power, eyes shut. She hardly believed he noticed here there. "I sense your presence, my lady love," he murmured softly to her. "Do you know that my time to act has come?" he questioned. Her eyes became fearful and worried as she gazed up at him.

"Do not do this," she pled softly one last time, taking his hand. "If you do I will never see you again. I feel it, I _sense_ it."

He turned to her softly and for a moment, just a moment, he thought about backing down. After all, was revenge worth the price he would have to pay should he be caught? Part of him said it _was_; another smaller part vehemently denied such a claim. After a moment he replied, "You will not stop me, not even _you_."

"I will lose you," she breathed, tears shining in her eyes.

He bent, taking her lips adoringly. After a time he drew back. "There is a place where you will go, should I be captured; a temple. Rally your forces, bring about creatures who will fight for you, build your power, and when the time is right you will find a way to release me. There is always a loophole. You will not fail, and I _will_ see you again," he vowed, nuzzling her forehead. She fell into his arms, silently weeping as he rocked her gently.

A pang of guilt shot through him but vanished as quickly as it came. Quietly he began to recite words, his curse… "The Light and the Darkness were to have no destinies written before them. Children, you were to be the chosen ones of the gods, meant to keep the world in balance forever more… But with these words of this I rob you. Hear me and let these sayings be burned into your fates forever more, unable to be erased by the gods. Brother and sister will go to war with one another, Light versus Dark, for though I know, I sense, how deeply you will love one another, Darkness and Light can _never_ be one. I forbid it. You will fight, and the first time your battle rages in the heavens, Light will prevail… But the Dark will only come back all the stronger, and unless, child, you are stopped once and for all, the world will collapse around you and buckle beneath your merciless and cruel rule. Your fate is written within the pages of the Dark Prognosticus, a book written by the hands of mortals." He chuckled darkly. "As if mortal words will ever hold either you or your sister down, for that was never the way it was meant to be… but _my_ words will stand the test of time. You will both die or one of you will. There _is_ no other alternative. Rue your tired fates, little ones, and curse the gods whenever you are so reminded of that dark destiny." The Shadow Queen closed her eyes tightly.

SMB

It all came to pass as he had said it would… It all came to pass… But oh how tragically it did. Never had he been more shocked and delighted when the day came that she told him she was pregnant. Never had he been more horrified and dismayed when it came about that on the night of a mystical and otherworldly meteor shower, she went into labor pains and gave birth in her anguish to a child… a little girl the spitting image of the Cosmic Spirit. Her very nature and being shone with light and goodness.

He held the infant in his hands, lips parted in horror. He shook his head in denial. "No… no…" he breathed, gazing down at the little girl, the demi-goddess, the daughter he had conceived with a mortal. _You… it was you…_ he realized. _You are the embodiment of Light_. He looked down at his sleeping bride who for the first time in so long wore a contented smile on her face as she slept, and he sensed in her a change, a gentler nature, a softer side, being brought out in her. Did she realize who the child she had born to him was? No, she didn't. Her happiness overwhelmed all else; a daughter of her own… He looked down at his sleeping firstborn. No… No! It was coincidence, nothing more. His little one was not the embodiment of light… She _couldn't_ be…

SMB

Perhaps he could have convinced himself it was purely chance. Perhaps one day he might have even started believing it… then some years later Hecate again went into labor pains. After three days of labor pains, on the night of the festival of northern lights, at the height of their beauty as they danced in erotic and unpredictable patterns and sequences, the Shadow Queen gave birth a second time. It was a baby boy who came into the world screaming and shrieking. Darkness emanated from him, and Tabuu knew then that he could no longer deny it.

He stood above the cradle in which his baby boy rested, soundly sleeping. Close at hand was the bed upon which his delicate little daughter was, her hair sprawled around her. She would be beautiful when she grew up, he knew, and the boy… He turned attention to him. The boy would perhaps rival even his _sister_ in his beauty. He spread apart his hands and opened his wings, trapping the two in an eerie light that wrapped around their little bodies. Yet again he tried to remove the curse he had set upon them. Yet again he failed, energy draining from him quickly and dropping him to his knees with a gasp as he bit back a cry.

He punched the ground viciously, eyes burning with fury, with the threat of tears, and cursed his luck. Too powerful for his own good… He had been foolhardy, reckless. Damn, he should have waited! Waited to see who the children would be… Had he known his fellow divines would seek to offer him this one last appeasement… It would have satisfied him, he realized; to conceive with a mortal bride the ones who would balance the world… How could such an honor _not_ cool his wrath? That he had so carelessly thrown it away in a blind rage… He looked up at his children numbly.

Should he make his crime known to his fellow gods…? No… No, he could not go to them for help. They would offer none, and should they learn of what his intentions had been… On the other hand they would hear regardless… But if nothing else perhaps he could win mercy for his children… But mercy was impossible. He had made it so. His curse had been airtight. There was no loophole and there was nothing his fellow deities could do. Not anymore. Finally, _finally_, he was paying the price for his wickedness; and he would pay even more…

Tabuu gazed at his offspring, his spawn, once more. He went to them and bent, pressing a gentle kiss to each of their foreheads. With that he returned to his bride's side and slipped under the covers next to the sleeping woman. His arm wrapped gently around her. What happened to him from this point on was beyond correction, and if his curse could not be stopped—again he damned his own rashness—why should he let it go to waste? He didn't care how his prophecy would come about, or when or why. All he cared about was that it _did_… But… but he prayed also that his children would not suffer more than they had to for his error…


End file.
